by Mo Cooper

"I just yelled at my daughter . . . I yelled at her the way I never should yell at anyone, and she is shocked that I yelled at her that way . . . I feel terrible." — Katherine H.
"I'm furious, I explode, I lash out, I'm not in control of myself and I don't think." — Renee C.
"I really don't want to take out my depression and my anger on my little kids, but I always do." — Maria
Motherhood, as the moms above reveal, is not always a picnic. Every parent has moments she regrets later, moments where rage overcomes logic. As a Circle of Moms member named Maria offers, "Parenting is hard! There's so much to do and think about that we put ourselves last on the list of a million things to attend to. There is only so much neglect that we can put ourselves through before we snap."
If you let your own needs go unmet over time, an outburst at the people you're with most, including your children, is inevitable. But most of us know instinctively that it's important not to vent our frustrations on a child and that it will just make everyone feel worse.
So how do you avoid these moments? How do you know when you really need professional help to do so? Keep reading for moms' tips on gaining control over anger.