Laboratory Rats

I have great difficulty yelling at kids. It's not really my nature to make a scene in the first place, but I always feel bad losing my cool with young ones. Most of the time they just have to much energy, or they are too frustrated to express themselves soundly, or they are embarrassed or insecure, or they don't have the ability to weigh out consequences, and the list goes on. I remember being between the ages of 5 and 12 (really, even at this age sometimes) and being so charged with an emotion that I did something to really anger someone, not thinking at all about what I was doing. I think people forget how little you can feel, and how lonely that can be.
I get walked on at times, I'll be the first to admit. It often gets to the point where I have to either really lay down the law or go get someone else to do the dirty work for me (that sometimes is laying down the law). The latter is rather embarrassing because I should win the arm wrestle with a six, seven, or eight year old. It's like, "Dude, we're both going to be embarrassed, so just behave yourself. I don't have that many rules, I don't ask a lot and nothing unfair, so let's be cool." That doesn't always work. Especially with a 5 year old. I have to come up with different things other than just a moral code for us to follow. So there are stickers, there is candy, there is a game day or craft day for good behavior all week. There's no play time, no coloring, no singing and dancing, sitting in time out or marching to the principal's office.
Then, there's the good kid shot............. This is actually a rather creative and helpful ink pen from someone I would personally like to thank, for now I can simply say, "If you're going to be bad, I'm going to give you the shot that makes you good." Too awesome. Is it worse than raising my voice? I don't think so........I don't strain my vocal cords nor does the kid's wrongdoing get amplified for everyone.
But if a kid thinks that it may be what they need to keep from getting in trouble all the time, I'm screwed.