Feeling Like a Crap Mom (When You Know You're Not)

I made my son cry twice today. That's two times more than he's cried all week. He's a really good boy and almost never gives us any trouble. We don't normally yell at him because we just don't have to. And we never spank.

This morning I started his day off on a bad note when I told him he needed a hair cut.  I even offered to let him get a mohawk. He said he "didn't want to go to the hair cut store," and suggested I get mine cut instead. I won that argument.

After his hair cut he asked if he could buy Halloween make-up. I took him to four different stores to find what he wanted. He started to throw a fit as we walked to the last store, and I snapped at him telling him he should be thankful I was carting him around trying to find exactly what he was looking for and not whining.

He immediately burst into tears and said, "You yelled at me." We hugged it out.

Later at home he wanted to put his make-up on, but I had to make us lunch first. He whined and argued with me and I yelled at him again.

Again he burst into tears. I felt like a terrible mother for making him cry twice. Sometimes I forget how sensitive he is. It's so hard not to snap when you do so much for your kids, and they don't seem appreciative. Like when we'd let him play outside all day until nine at night and when it's time to come in, he screams and cries that we never let him do anything. I know that's just part of being a parent.

But it's one of the harder parts.