How do you control your frustration?

I'm going through a period just now where just about everything my eldest does frustrates me. He answers me back, he doesn't listen, he doesn't complete tasks that he's been asked to do. It drives me to distraction. I'm trying very hard not to yell at him, because I know that it's just a little boy being a little boy. However, he's getting to the stage where he's a bigger little boy now and I should be abel to trust him with some responsibilitiy. The day before yesterday for instance I asked him to fill up the chicken's water, and he knew we'd be away for 48 hours. Just as we were leaving I checked the chickens to find that they had just a scrap of water and the floor was all wet. When I tackled him he said that he had filled it, but then he'd spilled it. See, this is what drives me so mad. No-one minds that he spilled it, but he needs to fill it up again otherwise the chickens with dehydrate. He just doesn't seem to take two bit of information and put them together. Rant over! Deep breaths! And relax ....

My three-year-old frustrate me by asking "why" about everything. There are times when at the end of a long day I want to yell "just because". When I start to find myself getting annoyed I put a kids show on the television and then I go play the piano for a while. This gives us both a break.

I have a book called "Have a new kid by Friday" by Dr. Devin Leman. It's really good and it really works. The rules are no yelling, no lecturing, no attitude. It's harder for us as parents than it the kids. I found the book at a christian book store. I doesn't have anything to do with religion. There aren't any scriptors or Bible readings. It's just a how to book. It is really blunt and bold thou. But I've been doing it for a few months and it does work. Even on the 2 year old. I have three girls ages 2-9. It's great.