Keeping your family Monster-Free

Even though I love laughing, telling jokes and teasing people, I get angry real easy. If I were Hulk, the authorities would’ve neutralized my big green self  long ago. A long day of work, usually gives me less tolerance and the gift of anger. After my daily long comute, I open up the front door, and if everything is not in perfect harmony (it never is), fire starts to show in my pupils and at the smallest of situations, my heat vision takes over and I burn anything and anyone in my way. Volatile. Thankfully, most days, my kids come running towards me and ram me to the door. Afterwards they fill my cheeks with kisses and my neck with hugs. This helps me loosen up a lot. But anger always lurks.

I Married Master Yoda

The saint, that decided to marry me, periodically turns into Master Yoda, and encourages me saying: “Patience!”. Those words act as a “chill out my brotha'” alarm inside me and I usually take a few steps back and look at the picture with fresh eyes. I doesn’t always work, but one thing’s for sure: I cannot come home carrying all that anger from a difficult/typical working day. So here’s what I do, to minimize these sort of hellish entrances to my home:

5 tips to keep the Inner-Monster in check:

1. As soon as I enter my car to go home from work, I yell. Correction. I scream! Top-of-my-lungs-unspeakable-words until i see light again.
2. Music that emanates good vibes or that makes me want to sing and/or dance. While the people along side me on the road might see me as a crazy nut, driving while singing and dancing to a Michael Jackson tune, this practice helps me arrive with a Smile to greet my kids.
3. Mental Off button: This is the most difficult of the tactics I use, but every once in a while, I’ve been able to forget whatever it was I was working on until the next day when I step back into work. This gives me enormous bliss to go and play with the little rascals awaiting me at home.
4. Getting it off my chest: Usually, I call my wife or friend that will listen and curse with me if necessary. After a few minutes of this therapy, I can easily: not see the spilled milk on top of my laptop, or the crayon drawings on the TV screen.
5. Thinking of playing throughout the day: I do this every day. I picture myself playing with the kids. Being silly with them, laughing at anything and even watching some cartoons. This visualization enables me to look forward to the time when I get home, jump out the car and play my arse off.

While I could overlook the meaning of having a little more patience, making sure I have it is crucial for my kids. A patient mind can remember that they’re kids and they only want to have a blast! It helps me protect them from one of the Monsters that can harm them the most. Me.