I've done this, and the first thing I always do is call my sister and say, "I just lost it!" In other words, I reach out to someone who's "been there, done that," and ask for some guidance while I gather myself! Then, I have gone back to my child and told them that mom is a person, too. I make mistakes and have feelings. I tell them the reasons why I got to that point and apologize for reacting so badly. However, I clarify that the reasons I got to that point still need to be acknowledged by the child and an attempt to change the behavior on their part still needs to happen so mom doesn't freak out again!

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