Last year, on one of our many visits to the health clinic, we discovered in the waiting room that Charlotte had a fat, feeding tick above one of her ears. Luckily for us we were able to slide into an open spot with the pede for quick tick removal. Except- it wasn't that easy. This little bastard was clinging to Charlotte for dear life and the doctor used a little tool to twist and pull the tick while the nurse held my little, beautiful baby by her arms and legs as she screamed at the top of her lungs. I was upset by the whole thing and I'm pretty sure the pediatrician and nurse broke a sweat but poor Caroline practically lost her mind watching her sister squirm in pain.
She and I sat away from the scene, watching it unfold from a corner in the room. As Charlotte wailed, Caroline responded. The louder Charlotte's screams, the more agitated Caroline became until finally she was rolling around on the ground, legs and arms shaking at the ceiling. By the end, I cradled a moaning baby as Caroline dragged herself, yep on her hands and knees, out the office, into the lobby and out of the clinic. Of course everyone was watching us. How could you not? Since we are frequent visitors to the clinic I cringed thinking about how we just secured ourselves a spot in the clinic's Crazy Family Hall of Fame. As we moaned and dragged, I apologized to each person we encountered. Most either told me it was ok or looked away with a mix of politeness and pity. But the doctor said something to me that day that I've never forgotten. She told me that children outwardly express those feelings and emotions that adults have trained themselves to suppress.
That day in the clinic I suppose if I could have done whatever I wanted, I too, would have joined Caroline on the floor and pretended I was an angry stink bug knocked over onto her back. Experts tell us small children have tantrums due to their lack of communication skills. I have usually felt badly for my little tykes who scream, shout and flop their bodies on the ground because they are hungry and would like a cheese stick but can't ask for one but lately I've been a little envious. I've been tired, hungry and frustrated a lot and I think I'd be able to alleviate some of my stress if I could just let it all out like Charlotte and Caroline.
Wouldn't it be great to throw food you're not going to eat onto the floor, pick your nose in public, run up to people and push them and shout "GO AWAY!", hit them over the head with an empty Coke bottle and laugh, wail angrily and cry when someone tells you "No", open your mouth and let food drop out if you don't like it, pee your pants when you are too busy having fun, answer "No" to everything, pinch, fall asleep when someone is talking to us that we have no interest in, break it down when you hear a good song on the radio, wave hello and bye bye to everyone you see (BTW- you can do this one if you get a job as a Wal-Mart greeter), or turn your face away from someone when they address you and you don't feel like talking to them, throw your body onto the ground and your bum over your head and laugh, and run around your house naked?
I may not actually want to do all of these things, these real examples of behaviors my young babes exhibit, but I would like to be able to step out of social confines once in a while. Don't you think that we'd all be a little sweeter if we were able to throw a fit once a week? I'd even be willing to do a 5-minute time out for it as long as it can be in the bathroom. I'd really love to go to the bathroom alone for once.
She and I sat away from the scene, watching it unfold from a corner in the room. As Charlotte wailed, Caroline responded. The louder Charlotte's screams, the more agitated Caroline became until finally she was rolling around on the ground, legs and arms shaking at the ceiling. By the end, I cradled a moaning baby as Caroline dragged herself, yep on her hands and knees, out the office, into the lobby and out of the clinic. Of course everyone was watching us. How could you not? Since we are frequent visitors to the clinic I cringed thinking about how we just secured ourselves a spot in the clinic's Crazy Family Hall of Fame. As we moaned and dragged, I apologized to each person we encountered. Most either told me it was ok or looked away with a mix of politeness and pity. But the doctor said something to me that day that I've never forgotten. She told me that children outwardly express those feelings and emotions that adults have trained themselves to suppress.
That day in the clinic I suppose if I could have done whatever I wanted, I too, would have joined Caroline on the floor and pretended I was an angry stink bug knocked over onto her back. Experts tell us small children have tantrums due to their lack of communication skills. I have usually felt badly for my little tykes who scream, shout and flop their bodies on the ground because they are hungry and would like a cheese stick but can't ask for one but lately I've been a little envious. I've been tired, hungry and frustrated a lot and I think I'd be able to alleviate some of my stress if I could just let it all out like Charlotte and Caroline.
Wouldn't it be great to throw food you're not going to eat onto the floor, pick your nose in public, run up to people and push them and shout "GO AWAY!", hit them over the head with an empty Coke bottle and laugh, wail angrily and cry when someone tells you "No", open your mouth and let food drop out if you don't like it, pee your pants when you are too busy having fun, answer "No" to everything, pinch, fall asleep when someone is talking to us that we have no interest in, break it down when you hear a good song on the radio, wave hello and bye bye to everyone you see (BTW- you can do this one if you get a job as a Wal-Mart greeter), or turn your face away from someone when they address you and you don't feel like talking to them, throw your body onto the ground and your bum over your head and laugh, and run around your house naked?
I may not actually want to do all of these things, these real examples of behaviors my young babes exhibit, but I would like to be able to step out of social confines once in a while. Don't you think that we'd all be a little sweeter if we were able to throw a fit once a week? I'd even be willing to do a 5-minute time out for it as long as it can be in the bathroom. I'd really love to go to the bathroom alone for once.
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