Do you ever feel like you have become the "dad that yells?" You may have never wanted to be that type of parent, but sometimes the role found you. I get it. I was the same way. I never planned to yell at my kids. I was always going to be the reasonable one. Oops.
So why do we keep yelling when we know it isn’t working? Some studies have shown a chemical release in the brain when yelling swear words after being injured. Ever notice how yelling “Fudge!” just doesn’t give you that same response? The use of the swear word actually leads to the release of “anti pain” chemicals that decreases the pain you feel. In the same way we get the same response with yelling. Imagine a time your child did something that frustrated you enough to raise your voice. How did you feel before you yelled? How did you feel after? Sometimes the act of yelling leads to a quick release of dopamine or other substances to give a brief, if only for a moment, feeling of relief. But like any habit, addiction, or other action, the more this tactic is utilized the less effective it becomes, leading to more problems with parenting and how our children react.
In this week's episode, we talk about the above information and more on why we CHOOSE to yell as parents, and what can we do to help change that. I also previously wrote a blog post on the topic that you can find here if you are interested to read more.
Interested in more topics not covered here? Check out my blog at https://www.imperfectdadmd.com to see if I discussed it there.
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