Judge Or Lawyer

Maybe I've been watching way too much Good Wife on Hulu lately but a lawyer metaphor entered my mind today about parenting as I was drying my hair. I don't know about you, but I have some of my questions, ideas or moments of clarity while drying my hair. As I thought about my day thus far, the battles with the kids, the metaphor of the lawyer & judge came to mind. Judges are not to be passionate. They interpret the law and execute judgment but do so without passion or bias. On the other hand, lawyers are passionate. They defend with passion and show how the client was wronged. The argue for a stiff punishment whether criminal or civil because the client suffered in some unjust way.

I thought about myself and how I often parent my kids. Parenting kids under 5 is just plain hard. It is taxing and exhausting. I often feel wronged. I feel like I suffered while enduring countless hours of Barbies, pretend play or Dora. So when they disobey or act out of line or throw a fit, I react like the lawyer--passionate and seeking justice for myself. When perhaps, I should act like the judge who without bias or passion interprets what happened and executes punishment in a calm, rational way. What do you think? Judge or Lawyer?