I think one of the dirtiest little secrets of parenting is the parental meltdown. Sure, we all joke amongst ourselves about that time we got so mad that we yelled—pass that Mother of the Year trophy over here!—but the truth is that the really awful meltdowns don’t get talked about, much.
We’re too ashamed, too worried someone will point a finger and pass judgment.
Well,the advantage of really screwing up and knowing it is that there’s nothing anyone can say to you that you haven’t already said to yourself. (Silver lining, right there.) So come what may, today at Alpha Mom I’m coming clean about the giant tantrum I had this morning.
All the hugs.
And now I’m going to go find some pork rinds.
Wow. You must have been at my house last night and this morning, except I have six kids……
I once sobbed in the therapist’s office, “It’s her or me. One of us has to go.” Not a proud moment.
Probably not consolation but I certainly feel better knowing that I’m not the only one who has meltdowns. For me, the most mortifying part is when I think over what I have said and realize just how irrational I am capable of being.In other words, I really sympathize!
You appear to get over your meltdowns quickly at least. My mother hardly ever lost her temper but when she did, boy howdy. She could be angry for weeks.
Well, in the moment everyone gets hopped up, but after the melt down I think it gives kids notice that, hey, parents are actually human and I need to maybe think about that every now and then. My mom rarely lost her temper or cried, but when she did it was a reminder of how strong her love for us was (she never killed us, not even once:)
It seems so obvious, now that you talk about it, that this would be a pretty universal experience, but I actually thought I was the only mother who ever had the occasional meltdown! NOBOBDY talks about this, and it really helped that you wrote that piece!