DH & I were dreaming about when we have kids this weekend, and talking about what kind of parents we hope to be. We were telling each other things we thought the other would have to work on (mostly silly stuff like not cursing) and I told DH he would need to work on being patient and not getting angry. He said, "Well, if I need to get a little angry to get my point across, I will!"

This didn't surprise me because DH comes from a background where if the kids don't mind the first time, the parents often yell to get the kids to behave. I don't think that it makes you a bad parent if you yell at your kids - my parents yelled at me on occasion and I honestly deserved it! But I hope that we will do our best to discipline without losing our tempers, or taking our emotions out on them. In the end, I think my more gentle personality will balance out DH's more disciplinarian style, and our kids will of course always know that they are loved, even if we are frustrated.

How do you feel about yelling or getting a little angry with your kids? Do you & your SO agree?