Frustration with kids
is difficult to contain at times. I can recall times when I had my kids in tow when I was trying to get something done (going to the hardware store, for instance) and having to talk to someone to get information, only to have my oldest clamoring for my attention so he could then say something like "Did you ever see a frog stick his face in the moon?" and giggle. When you're trying to converse with an adult for a couple of minutes and have a child yammering at you for something trivial, it can be tempting to snap at them and tell them to STFU, that no one cares if they've just come out with a new flavor of Kool Aid that they've never had before and want to try. Resisting that is very hard at times.

The way I handled it was to instruct the kids that if I told them I was busy and I'd get back to them, to just hold the thought until I was done and was able to pay attention- and then made sure that I did so. They quickly learned that if they could just hold on for a couple of minutes that I would then hear them out patiently, but if they persisted then I would get snappish.

It worked surprisingly well...
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Mon 8 Dec 2008, 13:58, Reply)