SMASHED TV

SMASHED TV – NOT LOSING MY SH*T

Imagine the scene…I’ve called into Lidl to pick up a few bits while also collecting the eldest daughter and friends for their return to our house. My phone rings…“Dad, D has smashed the telly”.

Now, I am a shouter. I admit that I can go from zero to 100 faster than Superman can get his red knickers on. I have been known to lose my shit on many occasions. I’m not proud of this trait and it’s something I’m working on.

New TV

This is our 4-month-old TV. Its predecessor lasted 12 years without incident. So, I could be forgiven for feeling more than a bit aggrieved. I came home to discover what that little darling had managed to crack the TV because she was messing around with the vacuum pipe. But I kept my shit together. My voice barely registered above a normal conversational tone. Clearly, D was not expecting this version of Daddy. It threw her off guard. Clearly, she’d spent the time it took me to get home preparing to be dressed down like an errant army cadet. But no. I was as cool as the cucumber I had just purchased. 

There are, of course, consequences to her actions. My calmness was not to be mistaken. I was angry and upset. However, it’s just a TV. There are far, far worse things that can happen in this world. A smashed TV screen is not something I should lose my shit about. No. Not at all.

New me

I’m proud of myself. I tried to be restrained and I did it. Shouty Daddy did not make an appearance.

I am learning, albeit rather late on in my parenting career, that losing my shit changes nothing at all. It won’t fix the TV and it won’t make my daughter feel any worse than she already does. She said sorry almost immediately and I could tell she meant it (the sorry, not smashing the TV). Of course, at the time her saying sorry didn’t make me feel much better.

But, staying in control of my temper worked. It meant that the punishment dished out was taken with the severity that it should be. Furthermore, It also meant that I didn’t feel bad, guilty even, for losing my temper and shouting.

Anyone can shout and ball. But not everyone can reign that in, stay calm and in control, and deal with things in a more sensible way. Now I just need to keep this up.

Above all this, there are far worse things that could have happened than a smashed TV.

P.S. It is for this reason that I took out the additional cover that means tomorrow the TV will be collected and taken for repair!

Thanks for reading.


This post was adapted from a post I made on my Instagram page.


JakiJellz

One thought on “SMASHED TV – NOT LOSING MY SH*T”

  1. Well done you! It’s so hard not to lose your sh*t when something like that happens. I’m not sure I’d have been able to. Thanks for sharing with #TriumphantTales, do come back next week!

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