What Makes My Kids Cry Today

By Lizzie @ What Makes My Kid Cry Today

Real Life. Real Laughs. Real Jesus.

Let’s talk about it.

The moment when your child is lying face down on the kitchen floor because you peeled the banana “the wrong way,” and you are holding it together with the frayed shoelace of your last nerve.

You speak firmly.

Okay, loudly.

Okay, you definitely yelled.

But in your defense—you weren’t yelling.

You were passionately communicating with volume and intensity.

🧨 My Meltdown Moment

This morning started off great—by which I mean no one threw up before 8 a.m. So I was counting it as a win.

Then came:

The wrong-colored bowl. A sock emergency. A debate over why pants are actually necessary for going outside.

And then my child—God bless him—looked me dead in the eye and said,

“You’re mean. And loud.”

And that was it.

My sainthood crumbled.

🧁 The Guilt Hits Fast

I didn’t want to yell.

I wanted to be calm, collected, and very Proverbs-31-ish.

But instead, I sounded like a cross between a drill sergeant and a game show buzzer.

Cue the guilt:

Why can’t I be gentle? What kind of mom yells over mismatched socks? Jesus wouldn’t have snapped like that.

Spoiler alert: Jesus also never had to repeat Himself 73 times about brushing teeth.

💭 The Real Talk

Here’s what I’m learning:

Sometimes I yell because I’m human.

Sometimes I snap because I’m stretched too thin.

Sometimes I react out of fatigue, not faith.

But here’s the grace—

God’s mercy isn’t based on my tone.

📖 What Scripture Says (Thank You, Jesus)

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

— Psalm 103:8

God is patient with us.

And He doesn’t shame us for passionate volume.

He invites us back into gentleness, yes—but He doesn’t leave us in our guilt pit either.

🙏 The Reset

After I cooled off (and apologized), I heard a whisper in my heart:

“You’re still their safe place. Even when you’re loud. Even when you mess up.”

And you know what?

Later that night, the same child who called me “mean and loud” snuggled into my side and said,

“You’re still my favorite.”

🛠️ What Helps Me in Meltdown Mode:

Deep breaths (the kind that make your shoulders drop). Apologizing out loud to my kids. A whispered, “Jesus, help me not lose it.” Resetting the tone with humor: “Okay… take two. Let’s try that again. Less yelling. More snacks.”

💌 If This Is You Today…

You’re not alone.

You’re not a bad mom.

You’re just a human doing holy work without enough sleep.

So the next time you raise your voice and instantly regret it, just remember:

You’re not yelling. You’re passionate.

And even if you are yelling… there’s grace for that, too.

🍼 Got your own meltdown moment? Send it to whatmakesmykidcrytoday@gmail.com and it might just make it into a future Cry Log or Meltdown Monday. No judgment—just solidarity and snacks.