Sometimes it's hard for Christian moms. We have the flesh that we're dying to. Once we become mothers we're not suddenly delivered from every aspect of our issues. I have found that motherhood has been used greatly by the Lord to surface my junk. Any flaw or area that I have needed refinement has been magnified. Motherhood is the most beautiful gift, and at the same time can be a painful catalyst into seeing ourselves.
Sometimes, I'm ugly.
And certainly none of us want to be her. You know, the yelling mom. The desire of our heart is to be gentle, peaceful, patient, loving. Uninvited she shows up at my house. I don't know how I let her in. Along the way my soft answers increased in volume. My first clue is I begin to hear changes in how my children are speaking to one another. If they are snapping and yelling, I know that it all began with me.
5 Ways to Overcome the Yelling Mom
Sleep and Time with the Lord: I am the queen of only needing 6 hours per night of sleep. Even if you are a mom who requires the short side of sleep, or a mom like me when I'm pregnant who needs 10 hours per night + a 3 hour nap; if your words have changed from gentle to harsh - assessing your current sleeping patterns is a good place to start. Right along with sleep is time with the Lord. If all you can do is 15-minutes a day during this season, make the most of that time. I have a free 31-Day Bible Reading Plan for Moms that several moms have reported great for their limited devotional times.
Water: If I'm getting snappy, short, or find myself yelling, it may be because I've had my morning cup of coffee (or 2), but where's my water? Since I noticed my tendency to only drink coffee in the morning I've started to make myself finish a bottle of water before I fill my coffee cup. Yes, it keeps the bathroom trips hopping in the morning, but it's well worth it. I also keep cold water bottles ready to go in the fridge. Helping myself think ahead on water makes a big difference in my world.
I'm such a better mom with water in my veins.
Schedule Yourself Online: I love the gift and use of the online world in the days that we live in. But, I know myself. I get cranky, snappy, and just plain weird if I've been online too long. We have our homeschool life schedule, but as an online work at home mom I also schedule myself. My goal is to be done with my online work, have posts, deals, tweets, and facebook scheduled, and be offline by 8:30 a.m. My Free Homeschool Deals site runs as if I'm sitting on my computer all day; truth be told it's creative scheduling. I stick to this schedule during the day by having my online check-in times on our daily scheduling board for my children to see. And yes, they hold me accountable. They see that mom will be on the computer 'checking business' from 11:45-12:15 and again from 4:30-4:45.
If you have business and/or blogging that you have to check on during the day maybe you can schedule little time chunks out. If you're tempted to check stats after breakfast, or quickly look at your inbox, instead of those becoming a pressured feeling - you can rest that you have that window of time scheduled.
Snuggle, Read, Get Outside & Play: When in doubt, snuggle and read. Have you had a rough start to the day? Snuggle and read. Are you feeling pressured over adult concerns and overlooking the sweet joys infront of you? Get outside and play. Simple thrills, such as pushing a child on a tire swing, or picking wild flowers, can put life back in perspective.
Lead with Love: The Lord is constantly reminding me to lead with love. I'll find myself speaking this throughout the day...lead with love, Jamerrill. Lead these little ones with love....lead with love.
We all have our rough seasons, stretching seasons, trails and errors. If you find yourself not using your nice words ask for forgiveness. Confess to your children that Jesus isn't done with you yet, and admit that you're learning too. Little by little, bit by bit, us mothers are growing right along with our children.
Blessings,
Jamerrill
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