I was recently made acquainted with a wonderful blog: The Orange Rhino Challenge. It follows the fantastic journey of a mom who made the decision to stop yelling at her children for 365 days straight. Any yelling at all would set her back to day 0. She is currently on day 559, so I'd say she has been successful, and has worthy advice to offer.
This topic really hit home with me. As much as we would all like to hide our unpleasant sides, sometimes we need to own up to them to make a real change occur. I have certainly done my share of yelling; and likewise had my share of guilt, shame, and regret at my actions. No one enjoys being treated in such a manner, especially in their own home by someone they love. And no one deserves to be. I have been working on said vice for a long time now, and have made some measure of progress. However, not enough to cause me any great satisfaction. I believe this new resource will be a wonderful asset to me, and in turn, to my family. And, knowing that I am certainly not the only Mom to have problems in this area, I thought I would share the resource.
The first post from the blog that I read was "10 things I learned when I stopped yelling at my kids". It is short and definitely worth a glance.
http://theorangerhino.com/10-things-i-learned-when-i-stopped-yelling-at-my-kids/
Here is the link for the "12 steps" to getting started. Thinking about my triggers has occupied my thoughts a lot today. There were some very obvious ones for me, including pregnancy hormones, the heat and humidity, and tiredness. But it is a bit surprising what some others might be. Its a good chance to get to know yourself a bit better.
http://theorangerhino.com/12-steps-to-stop-yelling-at-your-kid/
She provides a wonderful list of possible alternatives to yelling. A handy little 'get started' tool.
http://theorangerhino.com/alternatives-to-yelling/
I do not intend on turning my blog into a narration of my journey to stop yelling. I still intend to fill it with the adorable pictures, accomplishments, and general awesomeness of my wonderful children. Though I admit to having neglected doing so recently. Third trimester, a family sinus infection, our missing dog (still not found, prayers for his safe return are appreciated), and having family visiting have all played their part in being a higher priority than blogging. I anticipate being a bit more attentive to the blog presently, and look forward to sharing pictures and stories of our ever growing, completely precious (no bias, I'm sure) children. Including, we expect in about 4-6 weeks, our newest precious addition.
And yes, I really do love orange.
