The last few days I've been a bit hard on my boys. Hard on me. The holidays, while wonderful, can also be challenging. The kids have been loud and dishonoring and...loud. And, I guess, I've been frustrated that they're still each a work in process, and haven't yet "arrived" — whatever that means. It's just how I sometimes feel. Needless to say, my words haven't all been gracious. Don't get me wrong, I've grown a lot in the area of Gentle Parenting. Unfortunately, while I don’t yell like I used to, my words can still be calm and crushing if I’m not careful.