Confessions of a stressed out parent...

Lately, I have not been enjoying my "job" of being a Mom as much as I used to. I seem to have lost my sense of humor. Between trips to the hospital and stomach flus, I am not fun to be around. So last night I went to a parent meeting at School. She was a family counselor and parent educator. It was titled "parent and child relationships and discipline". I couldn't wait to go and get some new tools to make me a better parent. She talked a lot about how children develop and how we need to have appropriate expectations, etc...(I know most of this, because I was a child development major, but it helps to be reminded) Then she talked about how parents anger affects children. And I realized she was talking about ME. I get angry easily and I yell. I feel that the only way they (mostly Cameron) will listen to me is if I am ANGRY. I am not validating his feelings behind his behavior or letting him express his feelings. The thing that really struck me is when she said that he had "serious anger issues" and that I was contributing to it... That was hard to hear I(in front of the entire school!!) So I am really going to try and be calmer and talk to my kids about how they are feeling instead of getting angry and yelling...Today was actually a great day, but hard for me to not yell, I guess it will take time. So tonight when I was putting Cameron to bed and he asks what I did today when he was at school. I said that I went to the bookstore and bought a book. He asked what it was called. I said "becoming the parent you want to be". He asked what that meant. I said "It is going to help me be a better Mommy". And he says "Is it going to help with the yelling?" Who needs a counselor, I should have just asked my 4 year old what I need to do!!