Grouchy Evening

Post date: Apr 30, 2011 4:42:15 PM

I was in a bad mood last evening. Our home was a mess, I was tired from work, and the kids were being fussy. I even yelled at my son at one point when he was being relentless with his whining. I don't like yelling because it makes me feel like I've lost control and it models bad behavior. There are other ways to deal with things.

My wife took the kids upstairs and kept them entertained while I did some cleaning and had time to cool off. Slowly our home started to feel a little less overwhelming. I did the dishes, picked up toys, vacuumed, made progress on laundry, and before I knew it things were a lot better than when I started. It felt good.

When I went upstairs I discovered that my wife and kids were already asleep in our son's room. I felt terrible that I hadn't apologized for being such a grump. I took a shower, wrote in my journal, then debated whether or not I should go wake up my wife and tell her I was sorry for my sour mood.

I finally decided I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I told her how I was feeling, so I crept into the room and gently arose her from her sleep. I'm glad I did because it was nice to talk to her and apologize. I thanked her for being a great friend and we chatted for a while. She kept drifting between being awake and falling asleep, so I finally let her head back to dreamland and went to bed myself.