I had a long conversation with a co-worker yesterday regarding the topic if it was ok or not to get frustrated with your children? Our conversation started because both of our children did not sleep the night before and we were both tired and talked about how we dealt with the situations. And ultimately, we came down to this:

1) Children, especially if they are young like mine, are unable to communicate with me to tell me what is wrong. So, they get frustrated that they can not tell me what is wrong.
2) We as the parents are humans that do get frustrated, at situations, including when our children do not sleep.

So, in saying that. Is it ok to be frustrated? Yes. But, what is not ok, is taking it out on your children. We both talked about how we dealt with the situation and how we were able to remain calm and here were a few things that we both did:

1) Change of scenery. Meaning that sometimes, you just need to walk away and count to 10 in a different room.
2) Deep breathing. It provides a calming effect, but also always you to relax and regain focus.
3) Most important, remember that these are your children and there is a reason for whatever is happening. In my case, my child can not tell me why he is sleeping. So, we rock. He babbles to me. He sleeps on my chest. We talk. And at some point, he goes to sleep.

Getting frustrated is just a part of life. We get frustrated at drivers. Co-workers. Our spouses. Our sports teams. It is only human nature for us to get frustrated. Just remember that when it comes to your children, that sometimes it is best to take a step back and regain composure before getting frustrated and ultimately reacting or in some cases, over reacting.