Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sometimes parents have a difficult time maintaining composure in stressful situations. This is completely normal, but extremely frustrating. If you have experienced this in your own house, you are not alone. You may think you are, but you are not.
Consider this scenario: You are working on your latest blog entry and your child comes out of her room and stands at the top of the stairs. She doesn’t say anything. Rather, she stands there and stares at you for about thirty seconds. Not getting a reaction, she begins to make loud noises, stomps, sighs, yawns in disgust, and then stares in silence for awhile longer before heading back to her room. You realize she is being a real “insert unpleasant expletive here”, and your natural inclination at this point is to bellow at her. But you don’t. Instead, you sit there calm and cool, and complete your latest entry. Why? Because you know that what just happened has nothing to do with anything you have done or not done.
The reality is: your child is bored. She’s been entertaining herself for an hour, and now she needs inspiration. She doesn’t want to get into it with you, but she does want some kind of banter. However unproductive it may be. Why? Because she needs to fill that sixty seconds with something. And what could be more entertaining that getting mom all riled up?!
Of course, this decision is made unconsciously. And truth be told: she doesn’t really want to fight with mom. What she does want is to remind you that she still exists, and to be reminded that you are there as well. As if there was any way not to know she was there! It’s a quest for comfort. Unfortunately, children often go on quests without the proper supplies. Eventually she will figure it out, but until then, you must find your inner patience extraordinaire.
What's sitting in Lindsay's Tree? Tune in tomorrow for another discovery.
~Lindsay
