• DESIGN STUFF
  • + LESSONS LEARNED

The Adventures of Anger Log!

Click to see Anger Log up close + extra scary

Geez Louise, it’s been a while since my last bloggering. I’ve been busy prepping for a whopper of a trip (more on that later) and all I can come up with is to share this little doodle I did the other day. Introducing Anger Log!

Anger Log’s origin story is pretty mundane. I was taking a parenting class and one of the homework assignments was to do keep a journal documenting a week’s worth of situations that pushed my buttons, got my goat, or anything veering close. As soon as I wrote down the words “anger log,” he sprang to life in my head, hand, and then page.

“A parenting what?” you may be asking… Yes, a parenting class. I’m sure you’ve heard new parents (or everyone, really) joke about raising kids, exclaiming, “I wish there was a manual!” But there is. It’s called a bazillion dollar book/TV/magazine/website industry, all focused on helping you rear a young’un. Yet I learn best with some face-to-face interaction, where I can ask questions, bounce ideas off others, compare battle scars. And PEP (Parent Encouragement Program) was a great experience for me. Look them up… I highly recommend.

Back to my story…  Anger Log was an exercise in recognizing what kinds of scenarios, times of day, and states of mind I was more likely to be impatient with JJ, Papa, Cordi… and in being more cognizant of that, take steps to essentially cut myself off at the pass. I found early evening was a big trigger for me. Take a long, sweltering walk with a stroller-full of wiggling boy and an extra-pully dog, add my lack of creativity in the kitchen, throw in a little residual stress from the workday, serve steaming hot with a dash of impatience…and viola! A perfect Grumpy Dad Stew.

Yet I’ve already found Anger Log to be quite helpful, despite his disconcerting appearance (yes, that’s a frightened worm coming out of his mouth). Being AWARE is the first — and very effective — step in managing anger. And impatience, insecurity, and… well, you gotta take the class yourself.

The class (and Anger Log) came along just in time. Because in three days we go on the aforementioned trip. With a toddler. Across the ocean. To see in-laws. For two weeks. Log, give me strength.

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So whaddaya think of Anger Log? Saturday morning material? Who would do his voice? What flavor would his inevitable cereal be?

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