Do you think that it is the short history of emotion that you suggested at? Our kids just don’t yet have the baggage associated with every shred of anger every felt? I don’t know. But I do think it is important for parents to be honest with their emotions.

One night my girls and I had a very rough dinner out after a rough day of work, school, and errands. They were frustrated at me because I was frustrated at them. It was ugly and uncomfortable. On the way home the tire blew. I pulled over and got out of the car. I sat down on the curb and cried. My daughters have never looked at me the same since. Not in a bad way, in a good way. In a you’re-just-like-me way. They see that I’m not always in control either but that I do work really hard to keep things in our lives as controlled as possible for the best of our family. Witnessing me cry made me child like in their eyes. Watching me stand up and deal with the situation after drying my tears showed them what we all have to do when life throws the curve ball. It’s a level of respect they had not realized quite the same way before. A definite turning point.