A few weeks ago our Sunday School teacher passed out quotes to our class to read. I don't think it was by accident that I got the quote I did. Here it is:
"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention...The voice of Heaven is a still small voice; likewise, the voice of domestic peace is a quiet voice." -Gordon B. Hinckley
I have to admit, I have a problem with yelling at my children and it is something that I have tried to work on for a long time. I always use the excuse that my children don't listen to me unless I yell. And it is true. I could ask them very nicely and sweetly to go clean their rooms 20 times and they don't even know I am talking to them. In fact they act like they don't even know I am in the room. But when I finally get mad and yell, "GO CLEAN YOUR ROOMS NOW!!!" They jump up and go clean their rooms. Or at least they jump up and go into their rooms. So over the years the time between my asking nicely and then reverting to yelling has become progressively shorter. I feel like I am yelling all the time and that that is the only way I can be heard. But I hate yelling and I don't want to be the crazy yelling mother that all the neighbors look at with raised eyebrows. I don't want my kids to grow up and have memories of their childhood filled with their mother yelling at them all the time. So after I read this quote in Sunday School I really was determined to stop yelling. It isn't easy and I was at a loss until I talked to my friend Betsy who was going through the same struggle I was, for the very same reason. She said she started taking her child's face in her hands and very firmly, but nice and calm, says, "I want you to go clean your room now, please." And that way she knows the child is listening to her and knows that she means business and that they need to obey. I have been trying it for a couple of weeks now and it actually works! No yelling, imagine that. It doesn't work 100% of the time but it probably works about 95% of the time and that is much better than before. It is nice to not have to yell all the time to be heard and obeyed. However life is not perfect and neither am I and I got really angry with my children last night and yelled at them for the first time in a while. I felt really bad after and that is why I chose this as my ode for today. I felt I needed a little reminder. I love this quote from our prophet and I really would like for my house to be peaceful and a little bit of Heaven on earth.
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