I Told Myself I Wouldn’t Yell Today… Then Breakfast Happened

Samantha was soo frustrated. "This morning I promised myself, I. Am. Not. Going. To. Yell." And she meant it.

And then… breakfast happened.

Someone spilled milk.
Two kids started talking at the same time.
One couldn’t find their shoes.

She felt the frustration building.

That tight feeling in her chest.
The major headache coming on...

“Why is this so hard?!” She asked herself.

In that moment, she just had to react.'

LIke if she didn't yell, everything would just fall apart.

But here’s what I told her.

That moment wasn’t really about your kids.

It was about your nervous system.

By the time you yell, your body is already overwhelmed.

And when your body is overwhelmed, you don’t have access to patience, logic, or all the parenting tools you’ve learned.

You react.

Not because you’re a bad mom.

But because you’re overloaded--and overstretched.

There’s actually a small window--just a few seconds--between feeling triggered and reacting.

And if you can catch it there, you can change what happens next.

Not always.

But often enough to start shifting the pattern.

That’s where the work is.

Not in trying to be more patient.

But in learning how to pause--even briefly--before you react.

Because that pause?

That’s where a different response becomes possible.