I paid my daughter, Mary, a dollar today, because I yelled. I really didn't see the problem coming. I had been in a great mood. But the day got long and I was worn out. But dinner time, as I was telling all the older kids to get dinner on the table, I was trying to get the baby's antibiotic down his throat. But he kept spitting it out, multiple ounces at a time! I was so frustrated. Bright, pink, amoxicillin, dripping all down his shirt and in between his multiple chins.
Right in the middle of his gagging and acting like I was torturing him, Mary, age 12, stands in the kitchen with a salad in her hands and says, "What do you want me to do with this bowl?" I shouted, "Get it onto the table, DUH! What do you think I want you to do with it??" As soon as the words came flying out of my mouth, I regretted it. She whisked off with the salad, and I bolted upstairs to change the baby's clothes.
When I came downstairs, I handed her a dollar. "I shouldn't have yelled, Mary. I'm really sorry." It is my policy that, if anyone in the family yells, we have to pay the other person a dollar. Kids can't yell. But neither can parents.
"I'm sorry too, Mom. It was such a ridiculous thing to ask you, right in the middle of your dealing with Sebastian."
I can't believe I said, "Duh." That's really lame!
No comments:
Post a Comment