Thank You,
Angie

Dear Angie,

Thanks for your question! You’re not the only one to wonder about this; our 3rd baby used to do the same thing, with a very similar music box. We’d be asleep late at night, then all of a sudden we’d hear that familiar tune coming from his room. What the heck? We’d wonder. Our little guy was in there, happily rolling around, very pleased that he’d turned on the music all by himself.

At first we worried that we’d have to take out the music box, since we didn’t want him to be up and playing, late at night. Then I realized…Hey, instead of crying for me at midnight, he’s entertaining himself. This is a good thing, right? I left him alone in there and sure enough, he’d fall asleep on his own after awhile.

Because the overall drift of our parenting goals is to support them in being independent, as soon as they are ready. And babies and toddlers DO normally still frequently waken at night, it’s just an issue for us when we have to get up too to help them get back to sleep. But if they’re handling it on their own? That’s a good thing. I also recall that the late-night-music-party was a short phase. The excitement ran out after awhile and then we were on to the next dilemma.

And now that your little guy is approaching toddlerhood, you’re going to get a lot more testing along these lines. The nap issue is always going to be there, in one form or another, through toddlerhood. The music-box thing is only his first effort to avoid naps. Most toddlers go through phases where they’re really good at napping, and then take a stab at trying to stay awake. Let your expectations be known, urge him to nap, but don’t get too worked up about it. He’ll make up for any lost sleep at night, or when he’s done testing you with that particular phase.

But I also hear that you’re concerned about being consistent as a parent, and not wanting to send him mixed messages. Listen: Don’t worry. It sounds to me as if you’re trying to be very consistent, and all you can really do is send a general message of what you expect from him. There is a lot of parenting advice out there that says you need to be consistent to a fault. I don’t agree with that. These are people we’re talking about! And rigidity is never a good approach in dealing with people, large or small. We have to be flexible as well as consistent, as our kids think up all sorts of new wrinkles to throw at us.

I, too, used to over-worry about the importance of being perfectly consistent, until my mentor suggested that I lighten up. “A habit isn’t a habit until it IS a habit,” she told me. In other words, you’re trying to be consistent in order to instill a sense of structure, predictability, and behavioral expectations. But you can do that by being generally consistent; it doesn’t have to be a 100% effort. I promise: You’re allowed to be flexible — I even strongly SUGGEST that you’re flexible. It offers a good model to our kids that we can consider new situations and not be rigid about them. Consider every new situation afresh, THEN make your decision.

So next time you hear that familiar music drifting out of your son’s room late at night, try to let the music calm YOU back to sleep too. Your baby is getting bigger, and soon he’ll be getting into bis “big boy bed”, and then you’ll have reason to worry about new things…wandering in the night, monsters, and everything that goes along with THAT phase. So enjoy this time when he’s still captive in his crib!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Please don’t worry about his future as an adult. So many of these fears are passing things in childhood. Of course I cannot guarantee he won’t be an anxious adult, but the presence of anxiety in early childhood is extremely common and is almost always normal (and passing). Potty fears are one of the most common, especially with those super-loud (and uncontrollable) automatic flushers. Who ever thought THOSE were a good idea?! Nobody with young children, that’s who.

Now, think back: did anything happen at school to upset him? Did the toilet clog one day and overflow? Talk to his teachers; use your parent detective abilities to see if there is any connection to something upsetting that happened. Then you (and his teachers) can try to slowly reacquaint him with the potty, understanding his fears.

I also wonder about his school. What is the teacher/student ratio? Ideally, one teacher would be assigned to assist and support him with potty trials throughout the day, with no pressure. The pressure will only make it worse. These kinds of problems are really not that unusual in preschools. The teachers hopefully can be asked to support him a bit more. Perhaps a brief return to using Pull-Ups might be considered. Ask him if it would help him at school, especially at naptime. He might feel reassured simply to have the option. He shouldn’t be shamed because of it; it’s just a temporary measure until he feels more confident. Assure him that, soon, he’ll feel better about the potty at school but until then, why not use the PullUps so he doesn’t have to worry about an accident? Lots of 3 and 4-year-olds use PullUps.

But I also hear that you have an underlying concern about your son’s anxiety level, and have had good experience with help in the past. Why not ask his previous therapists if they have any suggestions, including the possibility of an evaluation by a child psychologist, just for you to get some more information and hopefully settle your own anxieties about him? Because your son can sense YOUR anxiety too — and you don’t want him to internalize that you’re fearful about him. If you have a concern, promptly get it checked out, so that you can either get him some help (and feel relieved that he should feel better soon), or feel relieved that everything is OK.

Finally, have you checked out my other posts on “Fears”? Go to “Categories” to the right and below this post, then click on “Fears”. There will be several posts that come up — you can keep clicking “older entries” to see even more.

Good luck and let me know if you need more ideas.

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

If you’re new to BabyShrink, welcome! I’m a Maui mom of four young children, and a licensed psychologist specializing in babies and young children. I’ve been answering reader questions here for two years now, so take a look around the site, and hit “Ask Dr. Heather” if you can’t find an answer to your parenting dilemma. I’m happy to help!

And for those of you not lucky enough to live in Hawaii, here’s a link to the Advertiser story.

Much mahalos, Zenaida!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

You’d think I’d get used to the lack of sleep by now — this is our fourth child, after all. But the crushing effects of sleep deprivation continue to be the hardest part of parenting, for me. I could change diapers and nurse and even chase toddlers all day long, if I could just GET SOME SLEEP. But this baby is just like her siblings, and she sleeps sporadically at best. At 4 months of age, she sometimes awakens once or twice at night — but more often three or four times — to nurse and be comforted. I’ve got 3 other kids, a day job, and you, dear reader, to keep me more than busy. I’m tired.

When I had our first child, I had secret visions of the wonderful sleep-inducer that I’d be. “Babies need sleep, and so do parents. I’ll get the baby to sleep.” Somehow, I thought I could use my super-shrink powers to calm, soothe, or hypnotize her to sleep.

I was wrong. Our first didn’t sleep reliably through the night until she was four. FOUR!

Since psych grad school, oddly, is completely unhelpful in the preparation for parenthood, I sought out and read every single “Baby Sleep” book out there. All the major titles. I tried everything, religiously. Didn’t work.

And in the process, I got more and more sleep deprived myself.

There’s not much recognition out there that parents’ sleep deprivation often goes on for a really long time, and despite how difficult that is, it’s actually quite normal and typical for a baby to be up a lot at night for several months, and even beyond. I was doing some research for this post and I found something really annoying — most articles only address the FIRST MONTH of how to survive with a newborn. The implication is that things really improve in the sleep department after that first month of your baby’s life. AS IF! In the first month, you’re getting by on adrenaline, grandma’s help, and that extra sympathy and interest everyone still has in the new baby. It actually gets WORSE after that first month; you lose most of those extra perks, the baby STILL doesn’t sleep very well, and you’re slowly but surely losing your mind from the accumulated lack of sleep.

And of course there ARE some babies who sleep beautifully from very early on. (But parents of THOSE babies aren’t reading this post, are they?) It makes those of us with crummy sleepers feel there must be something wrong with my baby; or, there must be something wrong with my parenting. The urge to compare our babies to other babies is just too tempting. Not recommended, but hard to avoid.

When Your Baby Starts to Sleep Better…and then Regresses
It’s also easy to worry that “something is wrong” when your baby seems to be sleeping better….then all of a sudden is back to waking several times a night. Please know that regression is normal in many developmental areas, especially in early childhood. Sleep is no exception. My second-born slept a good NINE hour stretch from the age of 9 weeks until the age of five months. Then he started trying to roll over, and he roused himself several times a night with his new-found pursuit. After prematurely congratulating myself that we finally had a decent little sleeper, I just about lost it when he regressed back to waking several times each night again. Just as you get used to being up all night with a newborn, you also quickly get used to regular sleep again. And when your baby regresses and you have to go BACK AGAIN to being up and down all night, it somehow feels WORSE than when you were used to it before.

“Of Course, MY Baby Sleeps Through the Night!”
Another thing that happens is that we compare our experiences to other parents’. That’s a mistake, because PARENTS LIE. Not all parents, but enough of them DO get caught up in the game of comparing kids that you end up getting some pretty skewed information. And for some reason, the misinformation also comes from other parenting “resources”, which are often misleading. Even most pediatricians have little sympathy for our sleep deprivation. After all, most of these doctors take overnight call and had to be awake for their residency training for a couple of days at a time for years, so sleep deprivation is a relative term for them. And when your pediatrician says you can expect your baby to “sleep through the night” at 12 weeks of age, guess what she means? Sleeping a 6-hour stretch (sometimes, at least), is considered “normal”. But in my book, that’s not sleeping through the night, especially when most babies that age want to go down for the night at around 7 or 8 pm. By the time YOU get to bed, the nighttime rounds are just beginning.

The WORST advice you get is to “sleep when the baby sleeps”. Well, DUH. But it’s not that easy, is it? Babies’ sleep cycles can sometimes be so unpredictable that they have their best stretch of sleep smack in the middle of the day, when you need to shop, cook, do stuff with your other kids, and otherwise live your life. Waking up every hour or two in the middle of the night is often more the reality for many young babies.

And I don’t know about you, but it’s impossible for me to sleep “on command”. OK, baby’s asleep now, ready, get set…SLEEP! It doesn’t happen that way, does it? There are biochemical reasons for that. Once we’re awake for far too long, or we’re awakened one too many times at night, our bodies start to produce hormones to keep us awake. That’s when you get that hyper, wired, “I-know-I-should-be-sleepy-but-I’m-wide-awake!” feeling at 3 am.

You might think that I’m going to give you some fabulous secrets for getting your baby to sleep. Sorry, folks — sleep is one of the things you can’t “make” your child do — along with other bodily functions like eating and pooping. And if I had found the holy grail of making a baby sleep through the night, I would be a very rich Baby Shrink indeed. The truth is, nobody’s done that. But I have come up with some tips, over the years, from both my experience as a shrink and as a mom, for how to SURVIVE the sleep deprivation that most of us experience with babies:

How to Survive Baby-Induced Sleep-Deprivation
In order to be safe behind the wheel of a car and to keep your body (and mind) relatively healthy, you MUST get at least adequate sleep a couple of times a week. Consider this a Doctor’s Order: GET HELP so that you can at least 1) sleep in at least 2 mornings a week, complete with eye shade and ear plugs so that you don’t feel like you’re “listening” for the baby, and 2) get at least a 90 minute break most afternoons when you can lie down and rest (and hopefully sleep). If you’re a first-timer, it might not be easy to trust anybody to care for your Babe, even if you’re eyes are crossing from lack of sleep. But you MUST force yourself allow a trusted person to help you. Not easy to arrange? I know. Essential for your health and well-being? YES.

Get some exercise — preferably outside — for at least a few minutes each day. I know it feels impossible when you’re wiped out, but there really is a magical effect in taking even a few minutes’ brisk walk. Getting outside in the sun will also help to re-set your circadian rhythms, which are being hammered by your 24/7 schedule. I promise, you’ll feel better. You might also be able to sleep better when you get an opportunity later on.

Learn meditation and breathing techniques to calm the stress hormones that keep you awake when you should be sleeping. Any “mindfulness”, prayer, yoga, or other meditative technique that focuses on breathing will work. If you feel hyper and over-tired, even TEN SECONDS of mindful breathing will help you slow down and feel better. But do strive for 15 minutes a day in order to get your stress hormones under control. This will help you to sleep better when you DO have a chance.

Don’t obsess over how little sleep you’re getting. Believe me, I’ve been there — staring at the digital numbers on my bedside clock, getting madder by the minute about yet another night of lousy sleep, up and down with the baby. The less sleep you get, the more upset you become, and a vicious cycle begins. Don’t obsess about it. Let it go. Tell yourself: Oh well, another late night. This is something I can look back on later in life and laugh about. I know I feel beyond exhausted right now, but this too will pass. And if you can’t sleep, then read or watch TV. Just give yourself a break about it.

Don’t compare the amount of sleep you’re getting now to how much sleep you USED to get or need. I know you used to sleep in until noon, and you couldn’t function with less than 8 hours before this, yadda yadda. But your body has changed — you’re a parent now, and things ARE different. Yes, your body needs sleep, but you’re also pretty good at adapting to less sleep — at least for the short term. It feels impossible to “roll with it”, but that’s what you’ve got to do.

Don’t be afraid of the “Cry It Out” method for your baby — once she’s old enough. I think you can safely start that at about 9 months of age for most babies — after they have sufficiently developed the memory skills to remember that you’ll be coming back eventually, despite being left to cry (and sleep). Before then, you can (of course, with your pediatrician’s blessing), allow baby to fuss, grunt and make noise before rushing to get her; many babies are NOISY sleepers (another reason for them to sleep in their own rooms), and don’t actually need to be picked up. Try to learn the difference between “grunty-noisy-baby-sleep” noises and actual “come feed or comfort me” noises.

And finally, try to adopt a bit of a Zen attitude about all of this. Because your crushing sense of exhaustion will quickly dissipate one day, sooner or later, as your baby naturally develops a better capacity to sleep at night. Then you’ll be on to the next parenting challenge. So pace yourself. Our oldest is almost 9 and I still almost cry in relief as I check in on her, in a deep sleep, late at night. How can they grow this fast? (Cue the music to “Sunrise, Sunset”.) Is this the baby that so challenged my sense of order in the world, simply because she wasn’t a great sleeper for the first few years of her life? And here she is, a beautiful, intelligent, happy third grader, reliably sleeping from 8 pm to 7 am every day. Development is a magical thing, people. We parents can only provide love, structure, safety, support and guidance to shape these fabulous creatures that are our children, while the amazing processes of “growing up” happen before our (sleep deprived) eyes. We can’t “make” them sleep, but we can’t “make” them roll over, sit, stand, speak, and run, either. So step back for a minute to bask in the miraculous glow of your child’s growth and development. It’s a beautiful thing!

I hope this helped. And now, please excuse me while I try to get some sleep!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Here’s another post on babies and the normal range of their sleep patterns.

If you’ve been a BabyShrink reader for awhile, you know my stand on vaccines: They’ve saved millions of lives. It’s just like any medical advance: There’s a cost-benefit ratio to consider. And when you’re talking about saving the number of lives that vaccines have saved, SIGN ME UP.

In terms of the supposed autism/vaccine link, I’ve always been skeptical. I want to know more about possible environmental and genetic causes, but I believe the reams of research done that show NO CAUSATION by vaccines. And I’m still wondering about the issue of autism recognition, diagnosis, and the increase of cases: Clinically, I see a lot of pressure to diagnose autism, and much greater willingness to give the diagnosis. If you’re interested in more, here are a couple of links:

Here’s a link to my other posts on autism and vaccines.

Here’s a link to the CNN article on the retraction of the MMR/autism article by The Lancet.

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Dear Dr. Heather,

Jacki

Hi Jacki,

Toddlers often develop these quirky preferences and fears, seemingly all of a sudden. Partly it has to do with their growing awareness that scary things CAN happen; parents go away, kids get hurt, things get broken or spill, etc. Yet they cannot yet totally compute how to PREVENT those things from happening. It also has to do with their OWN aggressiveness — they see how they get mad and run away from a person or situation when they are mad, or lash out and hit etc, and worry that OTHERS will do the same thing (even if those others have never been aggressive at all). It’s a completely different mindset than that of an adult (or even a bigger kid).

I would let her regress back a bit for awhile until she gets re-acclimated to her Dad’s departure and return. Be extra reassuring, and stay home more when it’s possible. Go out gingerly and on a limited basis, if you can, until she gets back into the swing of it. GIVE HER BACK SOME OF THE CONTROL. Allow her to make choices about going out, if you can. See if there IS anyplace she would like to go — to the park? Grandma’s? Out for ice cream? And then go there. Little by little, try to sneak in additional outings, and let her know in advance of your plans. You won’t always be able to do it her way, and talk her through that. I know you don’t want to go to the store today, but we need more groceries. Do you want to go to the store AND to McDonald’s today, or just to the store? Giving her some choices will help her feel better. Then, as she grows more comfortable again, cut back on the rewards and incentives. You don’t want her to be in the “driver’s seat” forever, just until she gets comfortable again.

Try that and let us know how it goes!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

And here’s another popular post on toddler fears (this one is about Bathtub Fears).

JACKI’S UPDATE:

Dear Dr. Heather,

Thank you so much for your help! I tried your suggestions. She got very upset at first, but I talked her thru it and gave her time to adjust. We stopped at McDonalds on the way. She did fine thru the drive-thru. She seemed better doing something familiar. She may be on her way back to herself. I won’t press it too much. She seems much more settled when I reassure her that daddy is coming home at night. I think I panicked because this went on for a week, and a week can seem like forever! Now she at least talks about going outside w/o panicking. I am glad to know that someone like you is available for these times. I appreciate it.

Jacki

~~My pleasure, Jacki! Glad to Help!

Check out today’s installment of one of my favorite comic strips, Zits. If you’re like me, you’ll print it out, put it on the fridge, and weep a little every time you look at it.

Enjoy! (sniff!)

Check out the link to the 1/31/10 Zits If the cartoon has rotated, click “previous” to go back to the Sunday, 1/31/2010 installment. You can click on the comic strip and it will open in a new window, allowing you to print it out for your fridge.

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,

I’m so glad you are aware of this crucial aspect of your baby’s cognitive development. I think most parents would be happy to have a “mellow and easy” baby who would happily sit in his bouncer all day. But you recognize that he might not be reaching out to you for the important “give and take” and communication that he needs to trigger important aspects of his development. He needs to engage with you and play “Baby Games” in order to solidify his relationship with you, which forms the foundation of his cognitive growth. What to do?

I understand that you want to be as proactive as possible, given your experience with your older son. And while there is a possibility that your baby may suffer some similar developmental issues, it’s also quite possible that everything you describe is well within the norm for typical development. First of all, try not to over-worry, but maintain the watchful engagement that led you to research your concerns. Your baby can pick up your fears and anxieties, and this can push him to be even more distant. There is some interesting psychological discussion and observation going on about this very basic “give and take” in the parent/infant interaction, and in the ability of a baby to pick up on his parents’ feelings. When a very anxious parent reaches out to a baby in a way that seems desperate or demanding, the infant can sometimes seem to feel pressured, and retreat even more. So, as with many aspects of parenting, containing and managing your own feelings is Job One.

That said, there are many things that ALL parents can — and should — be doing to maximize this incredibly important time in a baby’s development:

Carefully watch your baby’s sleep/wake/activity schedule for clues as to when he is most likely to be responsive to parent interaction. Sometimes he’ll be fussy, or seem overstimulated by your efforts. Other times he may be more receptive. Often, these receptive times are shortly after waking from a nap and having a feed. But you are your baby’s best expert; try to figure out when he’s most approachable.

Then, make a conscious effort to play “Baby Games” during these times of approachability. Try to match his energy level and catch his gaze. Follow his lead; if he coos and looks away, try to respond in kind. You want to reinforce any efforts on his part, even brief eye contact that might be just 1 or 2 seconds long. Each baby is different; perhaps your baby is more auditory and responds well to your cooing back, other babies might be better reinforced by a brief touch to the face or hand, or from a big returned smile. Experiment, and see which response generates another round of interaction from your baby.

Don’t give up if your baby continues to avert his gaze. Take a deep breath if you start to worry, and try to be as available as you can for “Baby Games”. Give him time and keep trying.

Jennifer, I have a 3-month old too. Although she does engage in periodic eye contact, coos and smiles, she is much more reserved than her siblings were at this stage. At first I also worried about her relative lack of eye contact and her willingness to hang out in her crib for long periods of time. I can’t help but think that the noise and chaos of our busy household causes her to be a bit more protective in her interactions; there’s a lot for a little baby to absorb in this household! But her Daddy and I have been engaged in the exactly these exercises with our little one, and I can see the difference in just a couple of weeks of consciously trying to engage with her.

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton has some excellent suggestions for engaging a baby who might have sensory issues or sensitivities. Use your parents’ detective skills to determine WHICH senses your baby tolerates — and DOESN’T tolerate — very easily. Use this information to “fine tune” your interactions with him. For instance, our baby seems to respond longer to us, and with more smiles, when I’m quiet. Responding both with my facial expressions AND my voice seems to be too much for her, and she turns away. But if I keep focused on giving her a big returned smile, maintain eye contact, and maybe even stroke her hand or her cheek, she’s much more likely to stay engaged in our “Baby Game” than if I coo or talk back to her. Eventually, she’ll develop the ability to tolerate my voice as well. But until then, I’ll hold back a bit. Experiment with using different modes of communication with your baby and maximize what works.

I also double-checked on the expected timeframe of infant response to parents’ voices, and most authorities agree that this isn’t regularly observed in most infants until 4 months. Our baby is 14 weeks, and only in the past few days has she started responding to our voices on a somewhat-regular basis.

Now, I’m not able to evaluate your little one, but there are many things you can do to maximize this important aspect to your son’s development. Over time, you can judge his progress and if you’re not satisfied, have him evaluated by the program you mentioned in your city. If they’re not yet able to enroll him due to his young age, perhaps their specialists can take a quick look at your son and make some further suggestions to you. I’m a firm believer in erring on the side of having a child evaluated early, not only for reassurance of an expert opinion, but for the often very helpful recommendations that the specialists can give you, even if there’s nothing really atypical with your child.

And I can’t stress this enough: At 3 months of age, you should be aiming for interactions measured in SECONDS, not minutes. Feel good if you generate a few “rounds” of interaction between you and your baby at this age. Over time, you’ll both want to stretch these interactions to last longer and become more complex. But at 3 months of age, your baby is still very young and new to the world of interaction. A 3-month-old is only recently “hatched” — our psychological term for the opening of awareness that marks the end of the “squirrelly newborn” phase. So manage your expectations accordingly.

Jennifer, thanks for the opportunity to write about this extremely important topic. I hope you’ll write back to update us on your progress!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Marcia

Hi Marcia,

It sounds like you are being sensitive to your daughter regarding her poopy-timing. I’m glad you’re not pressuring her about the issue. And the fact that she apologizes profusely shows you that she knows what she is supposed to do, but isn’t there yet. You’re right; lecturing her about it won’t help. And I wouldn’t suggest doing anything to somehow manipulate her potty schedule; this would likely be felt as intrusive by her.

It also seems that it wouldn’t concern you as much if it weren’t for the preschool issue. Many preschools have rules that state the child must be “toilet independent” before starting school. The pressure to be “completely” potty trained before starting preschool MAKES ME CRAZY! It’s really unrealistic for many kids, and parents feel compelled to get their kids trained before they’re ready. This can cause problems later on.

That said, many schools WILL work with you, if you approach them directly. Believe me, this isn’t the first time they’ve dealt with this! They can support your daughter on her way to being fully potty trained. If her school won’t work with you on this — look elsewhere. You want a place that understands the developmental issues of preschoolers.

In the meantime, continue to praise her efforts, and be neutrally supportive when she has an accident. I wouldn’t dwell on it much with her; it sounds as if she KNOWS what is expected, and that’s what matters. It sounds like she’s well on her way to having full control over her potty needs, and I’ll bet that soon, she’ll be making good progress.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink

Well, she MIGHT be learning it from daycare. But guess what? Aggression is an INBORN DRIVE. Aggression is NATURAL in young children (and older children…and adults!). We ALL have some aggression in us….thankfully. Aggression helps us protect ourselves and our offspring, and, when properly re-directed, gives us energy to pursue our goals in life.

But there’s a lot of parenting “advice” out there that seeks to squash any hint of aggression in our kids, and indeed to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Worse, to punish the expression of it in children.

Instead, we must understand that aggression is a normal drive; as inescapable as hunger, thirst, and the developmental urge to get up and walk. When I see a child in the clinic who expresses NO aggression — THAT worries me.

Of course, the problem is not with aggression per se, but with HOW IT IS EXPRESSED. That’s the key, isn’t it? Aggression must be re-directed appropriately, so as not to be destructive.

So, how do we do that, as parents?

First, get comfortable with aggression, including your own
Yes, your own. I will bet that the Dads reading this won’t have as much difficulty with this part of the assignment. After all, boys and men are typically more direct in their expression of aggression. I’m all for women’s rights, but there’s no doubt that most boys (and men) are more directly aggressive than girls and women. My husband is a lot more comfortable with our kids’ aggressiveness than I am. But I’ve had to learn from him that it’s not good for me to automatically chastise the kids simply for being aggressive — kids need healthy outlets for their aggression, as long as they’re not hurting anyone (or anything).

Moms need to understand that we, too, have an aggressive drive within us. Think about it. How do you channel your aggression? One friend of mine goes on a pounding run. Another paints vivid pictures. My sister likes horror films. Personally, I’m a head-banger. I feel so much better after a good power walk, listening to Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins or Black Sabbath (am I dating myself here, or what?). Get comfortable with your own aggression, and think about how you channel it in a positive way. Then, think about how you can help your children with the same issue.

Next, convey this to your kids:
I understand you want to break that toy. I know you’re mad. That’s OK. But I can’t let you break things. Sometimes when I get mad I listen to loud music and jump up and down. Wanna try it with me? Or: You guys can’t hit each other. I know you got mad at each other. Let me help you use your words to say how mad you are at each other. Then when we’re done, we’ll try to find out how we can be friends again.

More tips on handling aggression
For babies and young toddlers (up to about 18 months), IGNORE it as much as possible.
(And yes, even babies express aggression. What breastfeeding mother can’t attest to that? One minute you’re having a nice nursing session, and then all of a sudden — OUCH! Your sweet baby has decided to act out his aggressive impulses — on your nipple!) If baby is biting, physically stop her, in as unemotional manner as possible (you don’t want her to be reinforced by a big reaction from you), and try to move on. Babies will misinterpret any chastisement, and internalize it as shame. Not good.

For older toddlers, you can express your understanding of the emotion, but firmly show him what you’d prefer. You also want to praise and reinforce his HEALTHY expression of frustration and aggression. I know that little girl made you mad. I could see you were upset. But I am so proud of you for being a big boy and walking away from her. You didn’t hit. Great job! And try really, really hard to stay unemotional about it yourself. Easier said than done, I know, but if your child can trigger YOUR annoyance and aggression easily, it’s reinforcement for his own aggression. If you act out your aggression, so will they.

For preschoolers, you can talk more about their conflicts and help them role play or plan out problem situations in advance, or even after the fact. I know Ashley sometimes makes you mad. What will you do in school today if Ashley upsets you again? Can we practice what you might say or do, instead of hitting? Or try a role-playing exercise. OK, I’ll pretend I’m Ashley, and you try using your words instead of hitting. Let’s practice.

I also want to say a bit about “scary stories”. Preschoolers naturally gravitate towards “scary stories”, because they fulfill an important psychological function. They offer a way to SAFELY MASTER FEARS — as well as their own aggression. Because fears and aggression are related, psychologically. Fears crop up when children start to see what their OWN aggression can cause. They then start to generalize this fear of aggression to others. Some parents or “experts” suggest avoiding scary stories, but this is actually counterproductive. It’s important to give your child an opportunity to process and deal with scary things in a safe and manageable way. Why do you think the classic fairy tales have been around so long? Because they offer children a chance to process their natural aggression and fears. Of course, follow your child’s lead. Don’t expose him to scary stuff he can’t handle. But recognize that it’s important psychologically to allow him to deal with aggression in stories, at school, and at home.

In general, you want to convey your empathy and support for all your child’s feelings. When he feels understood, it will be easier to show him how to appropriately channel and redirect his aggression and other negative feelings. This is an important lesson for him to learn now, so that he can manage his aggressiveness throughout his life.

Aloha,

Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink