Hissy fits are a fantastic part of life.

They turn outings to the grocery store into memorable outbursts of embarrassment and feelings of parenthood failure.

Recently, one of my little buddies invited me to play monster trucks with him, I got lucky enough to pick up the Monster Truck called Hissy Fit. Upon discovery of that serpent-covered Hot Wheels, a traffic jam of memories rolled through my mind. The memories included meltdowns manufactured by my children, students, and even some of my own personal hysterics.

Do you ever feel like you have been hit by a monster hissy fit?

The hissy fit doesn’t have to come from a loved one.

The fit can sneak up on you from within.

I know that I have lashed out at my unsuspecting husband and children when they had no idea the emotion truck was about to roll into our house. It may have been stress from that day or lack of sleep from the previous nights, but I know I have made a demolish derby out of basic dinner conversation a time or two.

Not too long ago, when I was innocently teasing my daughter, she took her own emotional detour, and painfully for me Hubby turned with her. I was blindsided by their accusations that I always intentionally aggravate her. It hurt and left me shattered inside.

I silenced my mouth, but my mind would not be muted. With my insults turned inward, I took a very active approach to keeping silent when she was complaining or expressing displeasure about anything. When she complained about me to her friends, I made not-so-subtle comments about being her “mean mom.”

Eventually, I reminisced about what a jerk I was at the age of 15. I decided to just be grateful that my parents did not pummel me with wooden spoons and then light the stake they tied me to with one of those spoons. I took the monster hissy fit rising up inside me and turned it into a roundabout of reconciliation.

I expressed my regrets and apologized for the teasing to my now-much-calmer daughter. I feel like we both grew from the experience (until the next hissy fit).

If you are facing a situation where hysterics and hissy fits made a mark on your relationship, I encourage you to yield to the crazy train and consider putting the brakes on shouting your two cents.

A monster meltdown can crash any day at any time. We need to build up emotional insurance through patience, consideration, and the knowledge that frustration doesn’t have to wreck a conversation. Today I encourage you to put some energy into easing the pain of a previous breakdown or take some deep breaths to prevent an oncoming outburst. Nothing will help you roll more smoothly through your day than maintaining a positive purpose with your words and actions.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I’m here if you need to have a hissy fit of your own. We can Monster Jam it out!