Sept. 13, 2026

DEEP DIVE: How to Yell Less

Yelling. We all do it. We all hate ourselves for doing it afterward. Here’s why we yell, why it doesn’t usually even work that well, and why we still say the goal should still be LESS yelling (not none).

This Deep Dive series is all about reducing the friction between ourselves and our kids when trying to communicate with them, whether it's yelling less, finding real reasons for constant defiance, or picking our battles.

SHOULD we yell at our kids? No. Do we? Yes. Some of us perhaps a little too often. Kids are hardwired to push our buttons to get attention, and none of us are saints. But while verbal abuse is definitely horrible, hollering “you are about to miss the bus again” is perhaps a little more forgivable—and fixable, as it turns out. And it is definitely better to yell less, not just because you’ll have a more peaceful home, but because the more yelling your household has in it, the more it is likely to have.

In this episode Amy and Margaret discuss:

  • Why yelling at your kids might not be as universally toxic as some headlines have claimed
  • Why yelling is, in the end, ineffective
  • Why finding workarounds for the sources of tension might be a more effective path to change than berating yourself for (once again) having raised your voice

Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:

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What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson.

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