In my never-ending quest to be a better mama and a better person, I ask my son for advice on my behavior. I figure that he is one of the best people I know so I bet he will have a good idea for me.
Last week I yelled at him for some stupid thing that I don't even remember. After I calmed down and breathed I came back to him and I apologized and asked him, "What do you think I could do next time I start to yell at you so that I calm down and don't yell at you?" He smiled and immediately told me that I could, "sing the sunshine song!" The 'sunshine song' is "You are my sunshine" and it's one of our favorites. I sing it to him pretty much every day and if I forget he reminds me to sing it.
So, yesterday he was eating mint chocolate chip ice cream on the couch and after a while he told me that he spilled "a little" on the couch. I don't mind a little spill here or there so I wasn't mad until I saw that the whole underside of his diaper was green and so was the couch. I started thinking all sorts of terrible and selfish things in my head and I started to yell. Ian jumped off the couch and sort of started crying. I stopped, though, after about 3 seconds, took a breath, and then belted out, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...." By the end of the song he was cuddled in my lap and I was kissing the top of his head and I was marveling at my wonderful son. Best of all I was truly not angry anymore. IT WORKED!
Now if only I can start singing before I yell next time I will be set...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Wow, good for you! that's something I still have to master -the knee jerk instinct to yell when something goes awry. Good that you and Ian were able to come up with a solution together!
Hey, do you mind if I put a link to your blog on my site? I haven't done it yet because I wasn't sure if you wanted to keep it private or not.
Evie
Thanks, Evie. Ask your boys for ideas. I bet they will come up with great stuff that will surprise you. I also asked Ian the other day what I could do for him when he was really upset to help him calm down. He told me to get him a drink of water. We will see if this helps next time we need it.
Go ahead and link me. Maybe then more than one or two people will read it. I don't plan on sharing this blog with family yet but I don't mind if other people read it.
Can I link your blog?
Absolutely!!!
I think I would have started crying when I started singing that song! I love that song--it was in a windup stuffed sun toy that I had since I was born, probably. What a great idea he had. I'll have to ask my kids the same question.
This post made me cry... happy tears, of course. I just love happy endings... or maybe beginnings would be a better word!
Joyfully-
Laura
Hi Silvia,
That is so cool that you have the sun toy! Yeah, ask your kids the same question. I bet they will come up with great answers. Thanks for stopping by.
Marin
Ahhh..that is so sweet, Laura. It really did work and I am so glad I though to ask Ian for his ideas. I never would have come up with singing on my own.
Thanks for commenting.
Marin
Post a Comment