My wife tells me this from time to time. It is our way of letting each other know when we are starting to allow the kids to get the best of us. The other day though, she tells me that I tend to talk in a rude tone towards my boys. I guess I have never realized it. It got me wondering, is this something I picked up from my dad? There have been some instances I can recall that brought me to tears growing up. My dad owned a bakery for over 25yrs. So one day he had me move the delivery van to the back, so along the way I hit a dumpster. When I showed it to him he went ballistic. He even asked if I had done it on purpose. I have caught myself asking my oldest that. I recall another instance when I was on the phone with a friend, and he got on the other line and yelled at me to get off the phone because he needed to make a call. My mother also knew how to throw verbal daggers. I think dads tend to be harder on their boys because we want them to be better then us. I try really hard to watch my tone, and when I do loose it, I always apologize for it and explain why I got upset. I never got either of those from my dad, so I at least feel like I am headed in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom and dad very much. I would hope that each generation learns from the last. So each generation gets better and better.
