I Yelled

I don't raise my voice very often, so usually when I do, it has a powerful impact on Daughter and she seeks to be more cooperative. Usually.

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I let her sleep in this morning, and then fixed homemade macaroni and cheese for her for lunch. She has been bugging me to make it-- I know it's a comfort food for her. I washed the pans and everything that wouldn't go in the dishwasher, then I asked her to rinse out her bowl and put it in the dishwasher and start it. She wanted to go to a movie today. I told her not today, but if she was helpful and cooperative, we'd go shopping later and to a movie tomorrow.

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I came upstairs to work on my sermon so I'd be able to go shopping this afternoon. Two hours later I ventured back downstairs with the sheets off my bed to put in the washing machine. I was going to ask Daughter to unload the dishwasher. Except she didn't do what I asked. After she ate, she went into the living room and went back to sleep on the couch.

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I woke her up and asked her what I'd asked her to do. She told me. I pointed out all I had done for her this morning, and the promises I'd made to her. All I'd asked her to do was clean up her own dishes and start the dishwasher, and she couldn't even do that. She got up and did what I'd asked. Then she came upstairs and sat down next to me and tearfully apologized. I told her to show me she was sorry by her actions. I pointed out she was getting a collection of empty water bottles in her room. So she went into her bedroom, closed the door, and went back to sleep.

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I know she's stressed about Granddad. So am I. I'm trying to offer her support and ease up on my expectations of her. It's obviously not working. I may yell again. Of course, yelling didn't work either.