what would nawny do?

Phobias

2009-02-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

Wilma and Thelma are in a conflict of some kind. As far as Wilma can see, Thelma's behaviour/fears/views are completely irrational. In fact, as far as anyone except Thelma can see, Thelma's response is irrational. As in, the moon is made of blue cheese or the earth is flat. But Thelma is not to be reasoned with about the make-up of the moon.

What is the right response to what I suppose could be called a phobia?

--Anonymous

Does the phobia have any impact on anyone other than Thelma? Is the phobia relatively benign? For instance, someone living in North America with a phobia of kangaroos isn’t going to be negatively impacted by that phobia very easily. Zoo trips might need creative planning. Some nature programs will be avoided. But such a phobia will be primarily irrelevant – a personality quirk that can be worked on if Thelma ever decides to do so.

Of course, if the phobia negatively impacts Thelma and those around her on a regular basis, it’s a different story. Moon made of blue cheese? No big deal. Water will melt all people like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz? Massive problems.

I’ll assume the phobia is the latter variety – one that causes constant and severe problems for Thelma, her family, and her friends. The right response to such a phobia? Patience, I’m thinking, and a willingness to creatively confront the phobia. It seems likely to me that there will be a balancing act between creating safety for Thelma and creating opportunities for her to revise her ideas.

Another very obvious and very important piece to pay attention to is Thelma’s view of the world. There is a good chance that there is some small nugget of truth in her phobia. Maybe she’s terrified of ants because once she stood on an anthill without realizing it and suddenly discovered the little critters climbing all over her legs and into her pants. This isn’t irrational. Maybe the scene from the Wizard of Oz, with the melting witch, reminded her of the shock and fear she felt when splashed in the face at the local swimming pool. This isn’t irrational.

Whatever the phobia, whatever the story, there is real fear there, and she needs to be able to safely address and dismantle that fear. I definitely don’t think that has to mean deep, probing questions about the nature of her fear. (In fact, I think too much conversation can sometimes reinforce the bigness and badness of the phobia – which is absolutely not helpful.) I do think it is crucial to cultivate a real awareness about what, precisely, the fear is rooted in. The idea that Thelma is irrational to be afraid sets the rest of us up to dismiss her real fear – I think that’s a mistake. Dismissing the fear entirely leads us away from the careful exploration that can get us to the root of the problem. If water in the sink is okay, but water coming out of the faucet is terrifying, start there. Play with water in the sink. Notice when and where the fear isn’t an issue, and build on those experiences. Create opportunities for success.

As always, optimism, playful exploration, and remaining present in the moment are your best tools. And as always, I hope something here helps!

Mean Boy

2009-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

I have a nephew who is 6 years old, a year older than my daughter. He is my brother's son, who I get on well with as I do his wife. We do a lot of things together with the kids but lately his behaviour is beginning to get me down that much that I would rather not do things with them. This would be a shame because I really enjoy the company of my sister in law as we have a laugh and enjoy doing similar things. She does the same job as I do only in a primary school, we are both TA's (teaching assistants) so know all about positive praise and so on but my nephews does not respond to this and answers back all the time to anyone. His behaviour is horrendous, he is sly to my daughter and other kids, pinching and poking, telling tales, says nasty horrible things to her like he hates her and me if we ask him to stop. He is also physically violent kicking and punching at anyone who crosses his path. When his mum confronts him he tells her to shut up and hits out at her too. I just can't believe he is so horrible he is not like a little boy but like a brooding argumentative teenager. I have spoken to my SIL about him but she just laughs it off and say's that he is a good boy really, when clearly he is not. When he hurts or upsets other children she makes him apologise but what's the point when he doesn't mean it. What else can I do other than avoid them?

Tania

I have to admit, right up front, that I feel so sad for this little boy. He is “horrendous,” and “sly,” he “says nasty horrible things,” he is “not like a little boy but like a brooding argumentative teenager.”

And he’s six years old.

Is it good that he’s treating people like this? Of course not. It’s awful. For all of the people he’s hurting, which, please remember, includes himself.

It can be a very tricky thing, I think, figuring out how to create healthy relationships with other people’s children. There is so much implicit and explicit ownership of children. Parents feel judged by other parents for how their products are turning out. Parents feel protective of their babies. Adults try to force their agendas on their children, through fear of punishment or fear of withholding of affection. If you’re willing to step outside of the established protocol, sometimes it just gets messier. I’ve found that the one thing no sane parent ever objects to is having other people truly appreciate their children. If you can find a way to approach this boy, and the dynamic that is currently in play, with a genuine interest in befriending the boy instead of vilifying him, then, I think, there is hope.

So… Why does he pinch and poke? What are the tales he tells? What happens when people view him not as a horrible boy but as a frustrated or sad or lonely boy, a boy having a hard moment? And, maybe more important, what does he enjoy? When does he laugh? What would be fun for him?

I guarantee you, it is not fun for him to spend time with people who monopolize his mother and don’t like him. It doesn’t feel good to hurt other people, though it does sometimes feel better to get negative attention than to be ignored. It’s also important to remember that you are responsible for protecting your child. Maybe adult conversation needs to be put entirely on hold while you help the kids find their way. What happens if you’re there, shielding your child, and reacting to a seemingly violent attack with a laugh and a mock karate chop? What happens if you start listing all of the things you hate – certain foods, nasty drivers, stepping in mud puddles – instead of lecturing about how hurtful the word “hate” can be? What happens if you listen carefully to the tales he tells, and really truly try to hear his problems, his concerns, his unhappiness? In other words, what happens if you approach him with light-heartedness, interest, and maybe even love instead of with fear and contempt?

As for his mother, I would be interested in finding out what happens if you simply tell her “please, don’t force him to apologize on our account. He’s clearly having a hard time, let’s solve the underlying problems.” Forced apologies are like putting band-aids on tumors – they disguise the problem, but they don’t solve anything. In fact, by disguising the real problem they enable it to fester and grow, unchecked. To the mother’s claims that her son is a good boy, one response is “of course he is, but this situation isn’t working for us. What can we do to help him feel safe and comfortable? What can we do to keep my daughter safe and comfortable?” This is a complicated situation, with many different relationship dynamics clashing hard. If you want to make positive changes, you have to take responsibility for acknowledging and addressing the problems.

It seems to me that you’ve got several choices here. Figure out how to engage with the boy in a positive and meaningful way – try to see his side of the situation – and continue to build on your relationship. Or distance from the family altogether. Or arrange adult meetings so that you can continue your friendships with the adults without subjecting your child to abuse and their child to a clearly painful situation.

I hope something here helps.

Laissez-Faire?

2009-01-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

I give a lot of thought to this idea that parenting does not have to be a win-lose situation. And I try to apply it to my parenting and my everyday life with my kids, and we are all mostly very happy.

Once in a while, though, I wonder if I am not just using my high principles as an excuse, and if what I am doing is not just laissez-faire parenting.

Do you have any thoughts on this matter? How would you recognize the difference?

--Thinking Mom

It seems to me that these are actually two separate questions. The first question is whether win-win solutions somehow impair people by denying them the experience of dealing with losing. It rings true to me that successful people are not stopped in their tracks by occasional failure, or by losing from time to time. But how, exactly, do we help ourselves and others develop a healthy attitude towards losing? I think that problems with losing and failure are linked to identifying oneself as a loser or a failure. If we are able to view the failure in context – as an experience to learn from, instead of a label for our psyche – then I think it becomes simply something that has happened, instead of who we are. The truth is, striving for win-win solutions has the potential to empower us, to remind us that situations are not inherently doomed, and that we are not failures when we occasionally fail. From what I’ve seen, winning a lot actually causes most people to feel more mellow and accepting of occasional losses. I think repeated success tends to enable people to cultivate an interest in what sometimes goes wrong without internalizing those failures.

The other question I see here is about control, engagement, and happiness. Children are at the mercy of their parents. Parents, whether they realize it or not, have a huge amount of control over the world that their children are born into and have access to on a daily basis. People thrive when they are engaged in their world, in their activities, and in their lives. The question, then, is whether parents can take their children’s happiness at face value. If everyone seems content, if there are no major problems, if it looks like a win-win situation… Is it really? What if the kids would be happier going to the zoo around the corner, but they don’t even know that’s a possibility? What if they would rather have their parent playing a game with them than working on the computer? What if….

The only people who can answer those what-if questions are the people around you. The only way to know whether a particular “win-win” is actually just a “kinda okay-that’ll do for now” is to check in, with yourself and with everyone else involved.

If it feels like laissez-faire parenting, dig deeper into your own mind. Is this anxiety about what people should do, what learning should look like? Or is this a reaction to subtle cues that the environment could be richer, the parents could be more engaged, the locus of control could be more clearly within each individual? I think that’s where the real answers are.

Video Games

2008-10-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

“I have a partner who I love and respect. Said partner enjoys video games and likes to play them to relax in the evenings and on the weekends. The playing of these games does not negatively impact on my partner or the other people in the family in any way. In my family of origin, video games of any sort (also many other things; TV, 'bad foods', staying up late) were vilified to the extreme, prohibited, and other people who engaged in these activities were looked down upon. It is hard, for some reason, to get over irritation/repulsion caused by video gaming. I would like to be more balanced and less dogmatic in my views than my family of origin, because I found being that rigid exhausting and restrictive! I do not feel the need to talk to my partner and ask hir to play less/elsewhere/with headphones on. I would really like to stop feeling guilty and annoyed about the presence of video games in my house!

Ideas?”
--MJ

I think there are several things going on here… It seems really likely to me that you’ve deconstructed the criticisms of some of the vilified activities from your childhood. In other words, the idea of “bad foods” has been rearranged for you, which could mean that what your parents considered bad you now consider good, or that you’ve realized that food has many facets, and you’re able to appreciate some good intertwined with what was once deemed “bad.” My guess is that this has not happened for you with video games. You want to be more balanced and less dogmatic, but you still believe that, in essence, video games really ARE bad…

I think if you want to change how you react to video games in your house, you need to examine very closely what you believe about video games. So, does it make sense to be accepting of something that really is bad? And if video games really are bad, can you share that with your partner? If it’s true, it should be possible to articulate that, yes? So, are you right to believe that video games are bad? What, precisely, is bad about video games? If you articulate this for yourself, you’ll be able to deconstruct your own beliefs.

There are lots of sources of information about video games, and like many hot topics in our culture, most of that information is clearly biased. If you want to dismantle the negative view you have, it seems like a good idea to me to immerse yourself in the literature that supports video gaming. You might even find it useful to actively avoid the video game related fear mongering, at least for now. Instead, try reading articles like this Wired article about video gamers developing scientific methods to beat their games. Or this BBC article about video gamers improved eyesight. Or this article from the Sydney Morning Herald summarizing our current understanding of some of the positive attributes of video gaming. For personal stories about the positive role video games play in many peoples lives, check out unschooling icon Sandra Dodd’s videogame page. For a more comprehensive look at the benefits of video games, consider reading James Paul Gee’s books about video games, or Steven Johnson’s book about the benefits of current technology and pop culture. These resources are just the tip of the iceberg. There is much, much more out there about the positive influence of gaming on individuals and our society at large.

Have you ever played a video game you enjoyed? I’m guessing the answer is no. I’m also guessing that, if you were willing to try, you could definitely find a game you might like. There is such amazing diversity in the world of video games these days. Games that give much of the control of the game to the player– where you get to decide what your character will look like, and whether the point of the game will be to charm lots of friends, or defeat all your enemies. Games that invite physical activity and interaction. Games with sweeping vistas and story lines that foster complex relationships via the internet. Games that tell lush stories. Games that are all about solving puzzles. New York Times Crosswords as a video game. Trivia games. And so, so, so much more. It might be worth it to find a game or two or three that you actually really enjoy. Play. See how that shifts your perspective.

If you happen to be a book lover (common, that – love books, vilify video games) then it might be eye opening to consider that a couple of hundred years ago, books were damned by many for the exact same reasons that video games are damned today… Books were seen as a bad moral influence, a hindrance to real learning in the real world, time wasting, and on and on. The media has changed, but the public is still skeptical and fearful of new forms of learning and entertainment.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that you’ve already done this kind of research, that you’ve already changed your thinking, at least on the surface. If so, and if you’re still hitting frustration in this area, then it seems possible that you’re tangling things up that aren’t connected.

Are you always annoyed by video games? Or just sometimes? If it’s the latter, look closely at your thoughts when you’re annoyed.

Were you wanting to connect with your partner, but the video game seems to be preventing that? If so, what would happen if you just sat down and snuggled up close – not interfering with the game playing, but opening yourself up to seeing the game through your partner’s eyes. What would happen if you asked hir to pause the game to go for a walk or have a cup of tea? It’s not a problem to ask for connection, though it can absolutely be a problem to demand it, or to blame/shame/guilt someone for not wanting the same thing you want.

Were you wanting quiet, or to listen to music, or to create some other shift in the environment that the video game somehow negates? If so, how can you create that shift? Close a door, open a window, light a candle, put on your own headphones, take a bath, step outside – the possibilities are endless here, so long as you are able to take responsibility for creating the environment you want, instead of unintentionally expecting someone else to do that for you.

Were you bored, and looking to your partner for inspiration? If so, maybe snuggling up is a solution, or calling a friend, or creating your own list of activities that you enjoy that you can refer to in an aimless moment.

Self-awareness is key here, along with a heavy dose of confidence in your own power to create the life you want for yourself. You know what you want to change, so put in the thought and the time and the effort, and you will absolutely manifest that change. Life is change, yes? So focus, and encourage change that you will feel good about. Change that feeds the relationships you value in your life. I hope something here helps you on your way.

Dithering

2008-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

"After months of thinking, deliberating, and soul-searching, the time has come for me to make a big decision. How do I work up the courage to say something one way or another and stop the dithering?"
--Penne

I think we dither when we aren’t ready yet. If dithering is happening, I see that as a sign that the big decision isn’t actually made yet – more time is necessary. Maybe it’s time for less thinking and deliberating and soul-searching, and more percolating and breathing and just plain waiting for clarity. It’s possible, I think, to focus in too tightly on a problem. Maybe backing off a bit will help you figure out what you want to say as well as how to say what you want to say in such a way that working up courage will become unnecessary.

Of course, it’s also possible that courage is necessary because what is right and good for you directly conflicts with what you believe is right and good for the people you’re afraid to talk with. If that’s the case, waiting a bit might still be useful because it might help you figure out what your fears are so that you can address those fears without hurting the other person. The danger here is that waiting, if you are truly clear about what you’re wanting, might end up hurting the other person even more, since (assuming this is something they will have to find out about eventually) waiting will add deception to an already difficult situation. You know what I mean… “You’ve known this since then and you’re only just now telling me???!!!” If that’s the case, then reminding yourself that you’re causing more pain by waiting than by being honest right now might help you gather the courage you require.

I hope something here helps, although I realize that with my long delay in replying to your question you are probably all done dithering…

Nappies

2008-08-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

“Child does not wear nappies during the day or night. When they want to pee/poop, they ask for a nappy.

Parent has offered the toilet/potty intermittently, and occasionally talks about how "I go in the toilet... Grandma goes in the toilet... Nathan [who you completely hero worship] goes in the toilet..."

Idea of child going in the toilet/potty is met with horror.

Underwear, either just like parental ones, or with favourite cartoon characters, are rejected with disgust.

We want to avoid bribery. We certainly don't want to force child to sit on loo/potty (even assuming we could do the necessary gymnastics)

Any splendid ideas not involving bribery or forcing? It's certainly a psychological barrier rather than a physiological one.”
--Anonymous

What is horrible about going in the toilet/potty? I think that seems like the important question to answer.

Splendid ideas not involving bribery or forcing would really hinge on what is unappealing about the toilet/potty. I think diapers are obviously unappealing… It’s pretty nasty to have poop smushed on your skin. Lovely to avoid that mess. Lovely to just flush the yucky stuff away. Lovely to be clean and dry. If I understand the situation, then this particular child already appreciates how comfortable it is to NOT wear a diaper, since diapers are requested when pee/poop is on the way, and not worn all the time. Perhaps it would be helpful to point out, explicitly, that using toilets enables one to totally skip that yucky feeling?

Maybe it’s mobility? Diapers enable people to go wherever they want without soiling anything. Portable potties can be similarly useful – you can have one in each room, and they can be used to scoot around on hardwood floors. Connected to mobility is how very boring bathrooms can be… Perhaps a few drop of red food coloring in the toilet so that pee turns the water orange? Or blue to make green? A hand held video game? Digital camera handy to document the varied shapes of the poop logs before they get flushed? And, of course, good books or magazines are a classic… Toilet paper with little flowers or hearts or teddy bears or whatnot? Step stools, smaller toilet seats, fun soap for handwashing… Taro Gomi’s book, Everyone Poops, is a fun read.

Maybe it’s the idea that giving up diapers means giving up babyhood? Even if parents never say this explicitly, it’s a concept that appears in many, many, many books and shows made for children. It’s also often implicit in lists of who uses the toilet and who doesn’t… Of course, in the eyes of a parent, any child will always be loved and cherished. Sometimes stating this explicitly helps. Just remember to really relish and enjoy the current moment. Whatever happens, however the diapers are ditched, they will eventually be ditched. So love the person. Might also be interesting to put it out there that many, many people end up in diapers again in old age. Check out the adult diaper section… Joke about the prospect of the child changing the parents’ diapers in years to come… It's also worth noting that some babies never wear diapers. Parent could offer to hold the child over the toilet the way that families practicing elimination communication in our culture do. It might be interesting to see pictures of tiny babies without diapers. Basically, separate babyhood from diapers.

Or maybe it’s a direct reaction to emotional undercurrents in the family? "This is important to other people, but I get to decide what I do with my body, thank you very much." If this is the case, then backing way, way, way off seems important. No matter what, no matter when, eventually the diapers will be ditched. And the truth is, the child is in control of this. Parents can offer information and support, or they can push and prod, or they can do a little of everything, but ultimately, the child is in control.

Or maybe it’s about ritual – diapers have become a ritual? Would it be fun to lay a diaper in the potty – not on the child’s body, the diaper is still catching the pee and poop, but the pee and poop is not trapped against the skin? This could be a way to see how potties and toilets are actually more comfortable without totally ditching the diaper ritual. A transition, if you will?

Well, there you have it -- lot of thoughts, some goofy, some serious. As always, I hope something here helps you find a solution. Honestly, I hope that in the time it took me to craft my reply you’ve already found a way forward together.

Other Parents

2008-07-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

How and should one attempt to convince other parents that behaviourism is ineffective and detrimental in parenting?

Every time I hear "If you do that again, you won't get any chocolate!" I want to try to tell the parent that they nobody wins with such threats. I suspect that there is not much I can say without alienating and offending, which of course would not help anyone.

What do you think?
-- Willow

Honestly? I think it is more productive to focus on the positive changes we can make in our own lives than it is to hone in on the mistakes others are making. Often, I think, we notice things in others that we are bothered by in ourselves. Maybe you’ve moved beyond blatant threats, but it might be worthwhile to look closely at the ways that behaviorism still exerts a subtle grip on your thinking. Or maybe not.

Another thing to consider is simply this: what is it you are wanting – to share your own excitement about ideas that make sense to you? To offer a ray of hope to another parent? To gloat? To articulate your beliefs? To help a child? If you’re clear about your own intentions and desires, it might be easier to find ways forward that will be truly productive and satisfying for you.

At this point in my own journey, I think that setting out to convince others is often a mistake – a misdirection of energy and attention. It makes more sense to me to keep looking closely at our own issues, our own shortcomings, our own successes. To keep building our own lives. If our ideas are as good as we believe them to be, then living by them will indirectly impact many, many other people.

I hope something here proves useful, or at least interesting!

I don't like her!

2008-07-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

“What is the best way to react to a child repeatedly saying “I don’t like Sally.” Sally being her sister, and the phrase is repeated over and over and over whenever the child feels this mood and her sister is near – say wanting in the tub with her, wanting to eat at the same dinner table etc. It doesn’t make sense to tell a child that they DO like Sally, but wondering out loud about the possibility of confusing terms and/or feelings does happen. “I wonder if you are just wanting some space from Sally right now. That might be a kinder way to express your feelings.” Though I wonder too if that’s not the same as telling the child what they think. It seems this is more mom’s issue than either child’s for the most part.

I would love to know what Nawny would do in a similar situation!”
--Sass

I think there is a difference between telling someone what they think and trying to help someone figure out what they want.

I also think that it can be easy to focus on the language that is hard for us, as parents, to hear, and then to focus in on the person saying those things. Sometimes it’s much more helpful in a situation like the one described above to turn our attention to the person that isn’t saying things that tap our parental worry/guilt buttons. Talking to Sally instead of her sister, for example. “Sounds like your sister wants some space. Why don’t you and I go play over there?” Let go of the difficult interaction, come back to it when it is less loaded.

I think one of the hardest things about parenting more than one child is figuring out who to help and how to help when our kids’ wants are directly conflicting. It’s important in such a situation to be really flexible in our attempts to help, and to be very aware of our own biases.

I hope something here proves useful!

Absent Father

2008-06-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

“I am a single parent and we have absolutely no involvement with my child's father. I moved away before my child was born. During the crisis, I found out that the father was severely abused as a child and I have his own written word documenting what he experienced as a child. The father did many calls always with hang up until my child was several months old. We do not have any contact, including any child support, etc.

With Father's Day here, my five-year-old is asking why father doesn't ever call, where does father live, do we have the phone number, can we go visit, etc. If I know the answer, I give it. I don't say anything negative (or positive) about this man. I do have a picture if my child asks but he never has.

Years ago, his older cousin told him that the father was a 'bad man.' We discussed this briefly when it occurred but it has not been brought up since.

I'm more concerned about what to say to my child's questions and requests. I do let him know how special it is that we live together with his grandparents. I honestly do not consider it wise to try to make any contact with the father.”
-- Wondering

I’ve read this over and over again. I think it’s an awfully sad story. But I’ve been pretty stumped by it as a question. I keep re-reading, searching for what I can add that might be helpful, questions I can ask that might be useful.

I don’t really know what to say.

I do know that I think choosing not to share the picture you have unless it is asked for strikes me as a lie of omission. I think the questions your son has asked clearly indicate that he wants to know more. He doesn’t know there is a picture he can ask to see. If he did, I’m willing to bet that he’d be asking to see it.

I’m also not sure I understand the point of not saying anything positive or negative about his father. The truth is, there are positive and negative things to say about any individual alive. It sounds to me like it’s easier for you to treat his dad like a sperm donor. The problem with that is that he wasn’t just a sperm donor. You did know the man. Your family knew (or at least knows about) the man. Your reference to a pivotal crisis implies that there was emotional and physical involvement between you and the father leading up to that crisis. The bottom line is simply that you do have information that your son wants – more information than you are choosing to share with him.

What, exactly, are you trying to protect him from?

Is it right for his cousin to know more about your son’s father than he does?

What is the danger in sharing what you once liked or even loved about his father?

What is the danger in sharing what you know about how his father was hurt as a child, and how that kind of pain can permanently damage a person?

What is the danger in sharing that you and his father both thought your son would be safer and happier without his involvement in your son’s life? (While his father might not have ever stated this explicitly, his choices – to call and hang up, and then to just fade out, suggest that he chose to let go. He agreed with your assessment.)

I think it is important for you to think about these things. It seems to me that helping your child learn more about his father could be a positive thing for both of you. I don’t think keeping secrets from people who are craving that information usually works out very well.

What if your child stops asking you, and starts turning to his cousin for information?

Or maybe I’m really misunderstanding?

Maybe the questions your son is asking are questions that speak to logistics, not personality? Maybe he doesn’t want this level of information at this time?

Maybe hearing that his dad was abused and violent and unsafe would just be scary and depressing and not helpful?

Maybe knowing that his mother trusted someone violent and unsafe would be unnecessarily painful?

I don’t know. Maybe.

Or maybe knowing that people make mistakes is simply part of being human. Maybe there is value in knowing that sometimes it is braver and more loving to let go than it is to stay connected and hurt someone. Maybe, considering that you think it would be a mistake to try to make contact, you need to talk to your son about why that would be a mistake so that he doesn’t attempt to do it on his own. It seems to me that it will be far better for him to hear the details from you than from a misinformed relative.

I really do not know. I don’t even know if I’ve addressed the parts of your story that you wanted me to address. You're the one that will have to work to unravel all of this. Maybe it will help to think about what you were wanting from me... What are you uncertain about? What are your real questions? Because the truth is, you know better than I do. You know your questions, and you will know your answers.

I hope something here is useful. And I hope you will let me know if I’ve just totally and completely missed the mark.

Recovery

2008-06-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

“Parent is currently seeking treatment for substance abuse. Through therapy, this parent has discovered that the substance abuse was a form of self-medication. While using, the parent feels as if they were relaxed and free of anxiety, withdrawal from this substance currently leaves the parent restless, irritable, and discontent. The children are in the unfortunate predicament of witnessing the parent's mood swings and depression. Every display of anger leaves the parent in a further state of depression and self-loathing. Parent is assured that these intense feelings are natural and will pass, but are still painful regardless. How can the parent nurture and protect the children while making hir recovery a top priority?”
-- Anonymous

Anger, depression, and self-loathing might be natural responses to physical withdrawal, but that doesn’t mean we should just bite the bullet and wait for them to pass. I think you are absolutely right to want to prevent the pain. I agree that it is worthwhile to look for solutions now – I think it is far too common for depression to become habitual, so figuring out how to break the thoughts that lead there and the expression of those thoughts that is counter to greater intentions seems to me to be very important.

Also, you mention that substance abuse was a form of self-medication. I think it’s important to look closely at why self-medication was needed. What is replacing the formerly abused substance? I think when we’re in pain, we need to address the root causes of that pain while applying quick fixes. Self-medicating via substance abuse doesn’t address the root causes. Neither does stopping the substance abuse. The bigger issue here needs to be addressed, whether that is done via therapy or prescribed medications or light treatments or acupuncture or massage or yoga or meditation or nutrition or exercise or vitamin supplements or something else or a combination of some or all of the above will depend entirely on the specifics of the individual. In other words, figure out what leads you to self-medicate, and do what you can to address that issue (or those issues). It is imperative, I think, that you be willing to approach these problems from more than one perspective. Nobody really understands how the human mind works. Humans have lots of different theories about it. Ultimately, however, it is YOUR mind, and it is up to you to find the theories that fit best for you – the answers that best solve your unique problems.

But the core of your question was how to nurture and protect the children during a difficult time for the parent – and I think that requires help, in the form of other adults. If there is a parent-partner, then the two of you need to figure out together how the other parent can take over as much as possible so that you can work through your physical and emotional difficulties without hurting people that you love. It’s also critical that you reach out to family and friends, and enlist more help. That might mean talking about the actual problems you’re having. It might mean setting up more playdates and overnights. And if you’re a solo parent, then it is time to lean very hard on friends and family. I think you need to do two crucial things now. One is to work hard on breaking the patterns you’ve established that are hurting your kids. The other is to physically protect your kids and make sure that they have other people they love nurturing them while you’re moving forward, while you’re in a place of making a lot of mistakes. If you can’t change yourself fast enough, you can at least change your frequency of interactions for a time.

Guilt is a word you didn’t use at all, but I think it is very, very, very likely that guilt is the source of this: “Every display of anger leaves the parent in a further state of depression and self-loathing.” If I’m right, then there is a really nasty cycle starting here, one that needs to be seen and dismantled ASAP. Guilt serves one useful purpose – it shows us what we don’t want to do, who we don’t want to be. Once we’ve recognized that, it is crucial that we let it go. Let go of the mistake, and let go of the guilt. The real danger of feeling guilty is that if we get stuck in that feeling, we are setting ourselves up to fail. Feeling guilty makes it harder to see what we are doing right, what is going well, what we feel good about. Instead, guilt focuses very harshly on how we have failed, with an assumption that those failings are permanently damaging and irreparable. This leads, not to more success, but to more failing – often the same mistakes are repeated, creating more guilt, which leads to, yes, more misery. In order to learn from mistakes, we have to let them go. We have to see ourselves as separate from our mistakes. Guilt attaches our identity to our mistakes, and gets stuck there. So, if I’m at all right with this guess, you need to recognize what you are doing that is positive – tackling a very big problem (substance abuse). Unraveling these internal problems (substance abuse and the underlying causes) is a hugely positive thing.

And don’t stop there! Look at the small stuff. What can you do differently when feelings of frustration start creeping in? What helps you stay calm and centered? There is a way that we can assume we need to ride a feeling through to the end, and I think it can be very freeing to recognize the falseness of that. We can change gears anytime. We can start down a bad path, recognize that, and stop. Turn around. Find another way forward. Just because anger is rising, just because depression is descending, doesn’t mean we have to follow that pattern through to the end. We can, if we figure out how, turn it around. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we start doing that, the better. Maybe you’ll catch yourself in the guilt cycle and figure out how to let that go by calling a friend, or by snuggling with your child, or by feeding yourself a good meal. Maybe you’ll catch yourself in the anger cycle and break it by focusing on your breath, or by going outside, or by opening the curtains to let in some sunlight. Maybe you’ll catch yourself in self-pity and break it by taking a long bath or making a cup of tea or putting on a favorite CD. The specifics that I’m listing are not important. What is important is that you realize that YOU have the power to shift your own mental landscape, the power to choose where to focus your thoughts. How you do that, well, that’s up to you. I’m just reminding you that it is possible. And that you won’t always figure it out. So focus on noticing when you do figure it out. Focus on whatever helps you stay clear, calm, separate from what is hard.

I don’t know how helpful this will be. I don’t know whether it’s even really possible for me to help you at all. I strongly, strongly encourage you to talk to people face to face about everything you wrote to me. Find support where you are. Ask for help. Ask for help. Ask for help. Know that sometimes people won’t be able to help you, and ask anyway. Keep asking until you realize you’re doing okay. Then, remember to return the favor.

Struggling with Food

2008-06-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

“I struggle with my weight. When my child was about 2, and I was still choosing to have complete control over what food was in the house and how often or rarely we ate sweets, I was able to lose a bunch of weight and it felt great. It's not just vanity, I have more energy, etc. when I'm at a healthier weight.

Now that I am keeping more sweet stuff in the house, and trying to create a sense of abundance around food, I have gained back all that I lost plus some, and I can't seem to lose it. It is too hard to have all this yummy stuff around and not eat it when I'm tired or frustrated.

I do not want to make my child a part of my issues about food and eating, so do not want to enlist hir "help" in keeping the sweets out of sight or anything like that.

Got any good thinking points for me?”
--Josie

It seems to me like you’ve got two solid areas to consider – change your internal thinking about food, or change your external environment. Within those areas, you’ve got a lot of options, and I think it’s important to remember that you can work on both areas at the same time. (Set your environment up so that success is easy while also working on dismantling thought patterns that trip you up.)

One important thing I think you need to be aware of is simply that your child, by virtue of living with you, is going to see your issues with food. Maybe that means seeing you indulge in sweet stuff when you’re tired and frustrated, or seeing you put sweet stuff in a special locked cabinet, or seeing you take ten deep breaths and count to 100 every single time you look at a sugary treat, or or or or or… Whatever you do, however you choose to deal with or hide from this issue, that will be part of your child’s environment and frame of reference. I don’t think that talking explicitly with your child about your issues with food will “make” your child part of your issues. I do think that, whether you like it or not, your issues are likely to have some impact on how your child views food. I think there is a difference between saying “I’m buying this for you, so I’m putting it in this drawer/bin/Tupperware/cupboard,” and saying “I’m buying this for you, don’t ever share any with me not matter how much I beg and plead, and always leave it locked so I can’t sneak no matter how much I want to.” Does it change how you view the food if it’s in a drawer with your child’s name on it vs. being in a communal cupboard? Do you want it more or less? (I don’t think there’s a right answer to that one. I think what matters is that you know YOUR answer. If you’ll crave it more if it is supposed to be someone else’s, than give yourself permission to eat it. If you feel freed from wanting it by seeing it as someone else’s, than slap a nametag on it and let it go.)

Some things to think about…

Solve for the exhaustion and frustration that trigger binging you feel bad about. Find ways that consistently work for you to get rest and feel mellow.

Exercise more. Go for walks, ride a bike to the store, get Wii Fit, do yoga in your living room, treat cleaning up as a hardcore workout, do ten jumping jacks and ten pushups every single time you feel remotely crappy, frustrated, tired, hungry, sad, angry, etc.

Read about Margaret Cho’s “fuck it” diet, and consider dismissing all the rest of this “advice” of mine completely.
http://www.margaretcho.com/blog/2003/11/06/the-fuck-it-diet.html

Stop yourself for a second before eating anything to think about what you’re feeding – your belly, your tongue, your emotions – and whether the food in your hand is the best solution you can think of. Plan ahead. Have a friend to call for when you need emotional support. Give yourself permission to taste things and then spit them in the garbage, or to take a nibble of something and toss the rest in the trash. Make a list of food that gives you energy and satisfies your belly, and post it on your fridge. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with vegetables that are ready to eat, fruit in pretty bowls in obvious places, quick protein snacks on hand (nuts, hard boiled eggs, good meat ready to eat), and so on.

Come up with other ideas for how to soothe yourself if you do end up frustrated or tired – music, light, scents, touch, exercise, sleep, conversations… Then do those things. Put your lists on the cupboards or on the fridge. Stop yourself when you see them, and read them.

You are right that this is your problem. Now you just need to figure out how you want to solve it. I hope something here proves useful.

Liar, Liar

2008-06-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

“Help! Someone is manipulating my child, telling them what a bad parent and person I am, fueling any discomfort we have, and basically putting himself between me and my child! Child loves this person and won't stop seeing them. What can I do? I don't want to create a war inside my child's head, that is the definition of coercion, but I want my child to trust me! I don't trust this person so a talk with them is out of the question. (To be honest, I believe this person would do almost exactly the opposite of anything I said, just to piss me off.)”
--Frustrated

Tricky, tricky, tricky.

I find myself thinking a lot about the exact nature of the relationships here, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. How is it different if the manipulative person is the child’s best friend? Other parent? Beloved uncle? Stepsister? Grandparent? Next-door neighbor? Is it different?

When I think about it, people cut other people out of their lives in all kinds of situations, so if the child didn’t want to see this person, the problem would be solved. But the child DOES want to see this person. The child loves this person.

So then I wonder how we can break down the problem… What does it mean to manipulate someone? To feed them misinformation? To try to lead them to set conclusions?

There are no perfect parents. All relationships have occasional discomfort. For someone to choose to dig into someone else’s relationship and try to expose it as “bad” seems unnecessary and potentially cruel to me. I think this is clearly how you’re perceiving the situation. There is a real danger here that anything you do to show how wrong the other person is for trying to manipulate your child will be perceived as you choosing to dig into someone else’s relationship and try to expose it as “bad.” Do you see what I mean? Going on the offense seems to me to set you up to become exactly what you dislike about this other person.

Your child loves you. And your child loves this manipulative person. Let’s assume the manipulator loves the child. The right thing for you, the parent, and this manipulative but important person to do seems to me to each have your own separate relationship with the child. Meaning it doesn’t make sense to me for the three of you to hang out together. Or to discuss each other with your child. You can’t control what the manipulator says or does. You can control how you react, and how you act in the first place.

I think that the ideal way forward is to assume the absolute best of your own child. And to protect your own mind. I’m thinking this might mean coming up with an easy answer for reports about the manipulator “hmmm, that’s interesting. I don’t see it that way.” And then let it go. If your child wants to talk more about it, listen. What’s that old saying? If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all? Politely disagree, but don’t get into judging his character. If you are the parent you want to be, then whether the other person claims you are “bad” or not will be irrelevant – you and your child know the truth.

I don’t think people are actually very easy to manipulate – I think we tend to believe what supports what we already know, if that makes sense. So if there are weak areas in your relationship with your child, work on those areas because it is important to you to do so. Strengthen yourself, and your relationship with your child, and what the manipulator says and does will not matter. If you are strong, and your relationship with your child is strong, then the manipulator will become irrelevant, a ghost.

I think if you see this, if this rings true to you, then it might even be possible to turn those attempts at manipulation to your advantage. If something you hear stings, be kind to yourself, and see that as valuable information that there is an area you are not happy with, a place where you can focus on being more present and growing in a positive direction. The manipulator might give specific language to your child, but he cannot control how your child feels or what your child believes. So listen, and be the parent you want to be, and know that the words you hear might be triggering unnecessary reactions for you, so try to get past those reactions and hear the substance, where your child is unhappy, and address that. This is where a simple, standard answer might come in handy – it will give you time to let your emotions settle, so that you aren’t interacting with your child in an angry reactive mode sparked by this other person you don’t trust.

If you are trustworthy, your child will trust you. Who you are, how you treat your child – that’s what trust is built on. At least, that’s what I want to believe. I hope I’m right.

It sounds like a very, very difficult situation. I really hope something here helps.

What'd She Do?

2008-06-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

“How would you handle it when you are talking to one child about something they’ve done and a sibling starts asking “what’d she do mom? What’d she do?”

Say the child sprayed another sibling with the hose and parent was explaining that “victim’s” cries implied it was not appreciated and in fact the hose holder herself does not like being sprayed. All the while another sibling is wanting to know “what’d she do?”

I’m supposing one shouldn’t be concerned about answering the question as it was a rather public offense but I worry about telling someone’s stories if they’d rather they not be told.”
-- Sass

My thoughts go in a couple of different directions with this…

It seems to me that just answering the question without judgement is the simplest solution. If something is private enough that it shouldn’t be shared, than it seems to me that it shouldn’t be discussed in a public setting. Of course, it’s also possible to redirect the question – “why don’t you ask her what she did?” Or to find out if it’s okay – “do you mind if I tell your brother what we’re talking about?” Or to answer with a long list… “Well, she woke up, she ate breakfast, she played with you, she went to the bathroom, she came outside, she watered the plants, she watered your brother, she put down the hose, she laughed at my joke… Which part did you miss?”

I wonder, though, if something else is going on. It sounds like maybe there is a punishment mentality here. Like maybe the parent has a certain tone of voice or body language that the kids recognize as meaning that one of them is “in trouble.” If siblings missed the event, much curiosity about what triggered the “in trouble” reaction certainly seems valid from the perspective of avoiding such events in the future. (And I imagine there will be some smug satisfaction coming from those not "in trouble.") Of course, if the parent wants to avoid punishment, then this kind of attention probably trips the guilt switch for her, which makes the whole situation even muddier. The parent doesn’t want to say what happened, because she doesn’t want to own the lecture she realizes she’s handing out… It's important for us to realize that if we are doing something we feel bad about doing, we can always stop. "She sprayed someone with the hose -- let's get some water balloons and bomb the sand box instead!"

I think clarity about what exactly is going on in such a situation will probably lead to an obvious way forward. Maybe the parent needs to pull out the water guns and draw chalk outlines on the fence for everyone to spray. Maybe the whole family needs a safe place for private conversations. Maybe it's time to set up the slip 'n slide. Maybe siblings need to be reminded that they can talk to each other directly and don’t need parents as a translator.

As always, I hope something here helps!

Dietary Restrictions

2008-06-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

"What about dietary restrictions due to health or allergy reasons? This is an issue in our home and it is so hard to find common preferences (although we haven't stopped trying!) and going to parties and stuff is really hard (we usually bring our own foods to such events, but I feel like it still singles out the child who can't eat what everyone else is eating and it's not always possible to make something that looks the same, plus I don't have the energy to make an exact big replica birthday cake for every bday party, nor the money.)"
--Jenny

What exactly is the problem?

Is it that replacement food doesn’t taste as good?

Is it that child chooses to eat food that causes health problems?

Is it that having food allergies, by definition, makes a person different from people who don’t have allergies?

Is it something else altogether?

If the replacement food isn’t as good, then it makes sense to me to keep working on finding better replacements. That might mean more time baking, and then freezing options that are really appreciated to have on hand when occasions arise. It might mean thinking outside the cake box, and bringing favorite candies or fresh seasonal fruit or a yummy custard, or homemade ice cream, or whatever will be more delicious for the child than the expected cake.

If the child’s allergies are mild enough, or if the dietary restrictions are such that some flexibility exists, then it makes sense to work together to figure out what the actual parameters are… I’m thinking of adults I know that do things like take enzymes so they can eat dairy in spite of being lactose-intolerant, or make sure they eat enough protein to balance a small piece of birthday cake without impacting their diabetic blood sugar. If that is not an option for obvious health reasons (anaphylactic shock comes to mind), then it’s not an option.

If it’s about being different, well… We all are. It might help to actively notice the positive differences – the things people enjoy, that make their differences seem wonderful instead of unfair. It might also help to bring enough of the safe dessert to share with others – then the boundaries blur, and it’s more like potluck eating, where individuals pick and choose what works for them.

For what it’s worth, sometimes kids without any dietary restrictions aren’t interested in desserts at birthday parties. Some people don’t like cake. Some people don’t like frosting. Some don’t like ice cream. Usually, everyone doesn’t want exactly the same thing. Some want a corner piece of cake with no ice cream. Some want just ice cream. Some want it all. Sometimes people get very excited about the dessert they see at a party, and are horrified by the flavors once they bite into it, and don’t end up eating more than a nibble. The people that are all the same are actually NOT all the same – they all have different tastes and different eating styles.

Also, eating and enjoying the dessert are not essential for having fun at parties, yes? It’s possible to become almost obsessive about something that, when seen through a different lens, can seem trivial. I think that’s a very common problem with food restrictions – we are, by definition, focused on what we can’t eat. Just figuring out how to reframe our experience can help a lot in such a situation. I think developing a good working list of all the amazing, delicious food that people can eat, whenever they want, can help take the pressure off. Maybe having fancy desserts at home on a regular basis will help normalize the experience of dessert to the point that missing one at a party is irrelevant.

Another possibility – become the resident birthday cake expert. Offer to make desserts for friends' parties. Bring amazing desserts to all potlucks. Many people are thrilled at the thought of having a friend help them out by making the cake for them – don’t be afraid to offer. Or maybe there's a brand of ice cream that is safe, offer to bring that. Whatever works.

I know first-hand how challenging this situation can be, and how hard it is to avoid feeling self-pity when faced with food that looks yummy and is off-limits. I hope that something here helps, even just a little.

Changing the Rules

2008-06-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

“What would you do if child likes playing certain games outside the house, but whenever you do, a neighbor child comes over to play along and takes over the game and only wants to play *hir* way, not the way of the child whose game s/he invited hirself to play? This could be flipped around, too. What if one's child is the kid who changes the rules of other kids' games, sometimes against the other kids' wishes? Intervene or no? If so, how?”
-- P.F.

I think it never hurts to just ask, you know?

“Is everybody having fun?”

“How’s the game going?”

"Anybody need any help?"

And I don’t recommend all of these questions, or any of them, necessarily. It’s the idea of checking in with the people who are actually involved in the situation that I think is important.

And then, when you’ve gotten your answer (or been politely ignored cuz they’re both mesmerized by the game) the way forward in that moment will be clear.

In either situation, I think it also makes sense to talk to your own child out of the moment. Figuring out how to ask open-ended questions is important. For instance, “don’t you hate it when Billy Bob takes over your game and only wants to play HIS way?” Is a very different question than “how did you like the game you and Billy Bob played today?”

I think, though, that at the crux of this question is a parental fear of bullying. And I think it is important to address bullying as a potential issue. The key, I think, is separating out what the parent is overlaying on the situation due to the parent’s history from what is actually happening in the situation.

Some thoughts about that… If your child is genuinely happy having a “leader” to play with, that isn’t a problem as long as (and I think this is important) the child knows lots of other children and isn’t stuck with one friend, and the child knows how to say “no, I don’t want to play that way” if, in fact, the leader is pushing the game to unwanted places. On the flip side, it isn’t a bad thing for a person to have strong ideas about how they spend their time, as long as those ideas are not being forced on other people against their will. In that case, I think it makes sense to talk about or roleplay scenarios where the other child doesn’t want to keep playing – what happens then? How does one gracefully change the rules to accommodate everyone's interests? Or, if that isn’t wanted, how does one gracefully part ways for a time?

The bottom line, for me, is simply that changing the rules can be a very good thing, as long as the changes lead to more enjoyment. If the changes are creating discord or unhappiness, then other solutions need to be found.

Ah, I just re-read and was struck by one more important thought – if your child doesn’t want the other child to take over, and isn’t comfortable voicing that to the other child, then I believe it is the parent’s responsibility to simply, kindly tell the other child “we want to do this our way today. These are our rules, and we aren’t changing them today.” And, flipping the scenario, if it is obvious that the other child does not want to have the rules changed, I think it is the parent’s responsibility to simply, kindly tell her own child “he doesn’t want us to change the rules for his game. Should we play our own game with those rules, or do you want to try Billy Bob’s game with his rules, or should we go out for ice cream?” As always, I do not recommend using my words as a script – I’m just putting them out here as a quick and easy way to illustrate the kind of connection I find most useful. You know your child and the neighbor far better than I do!

I hope something here helps!

Visiting Teen

2008-06-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

“Hubby has agreed to have troubled 18yo nephew stay with us for 6 months at the request of his brother (boy's father). He will be coming from overseas. He has been involved in 3 car accidents which stemmed from alcohol and drugs (he was driving once) and has a history of party drug use. Argh! I don't think we need this as a family. This is the 3rd time that hubby's siblings have sent wayward offspring. I'm not convinced that this is going to be successful and I would hate to end up on bad terms with the boy or his mother and father.

After the other 2 times, hubby said, that's it, no more. Then he caves in again and agrees to this. I can't imagine this boy settling in here. He likes to party and have fun. And we'll have to be the ones that say 'no'. I'm also concerned about any
possible influence he may have on my teens.

The deal is done though. Now I need some guidance on what type of rules and boundaries to set down and how to spell it out to the boy.”

--Twiggy

What a messy situation.

I’m not sure I believe in done deals, by the way. Until he gets on the plane, the whole thing can be canceled. Once he’s on your continent, he can always turn around and go back to his parents.

I’m also not too hot on rules and artificial boundaries. However, I do think it is critical that you know your own boundaries, and that you are able to clearly articulate them to him. For instance, will he have access to your vehicles? Do people have sleep schedules that need to be respected? Will he have his own space, privacy, and time on his own? If he’s working for you, what are the safety requirements?

The most important thing of all, I think, is this: does he want to come to stay with you?

What are his intentions? If he’s wanting to make changes in his life and he’s excited about staying with you, then it seems to me that it’s up to you to be clear about what, exactly, your expectations are. Is he a guest? A tenant? An employee? Is he paying his way by working for you? Are you hosting him? Will he get a job and contribute financially to your household? Are his parents subsidizing his visit?

Are his parents forcing him, via emotional or financial obligations, to visit you? If so, I’m sorry. I think if he is there without believing that he’s chosen to be there, it will be more challenging for all of you. It will, I think, become even more important for you and your family to focus in on what you’re wanting from this situation, and to really hear his concerns and his desires.

So, what is the nature of the agreement? I think clarity about what you all want from the situation is crucial. And frankly, I would be much more interested and concerned about what his plans and goals are than what his parents want. His parents won’t be there. He will. You will. It’s up to you, your family, and him to figure out how this is going to work, what exactly you’re all hoping to accomplish.

And then, of course, what kind of back-up plans do you have in place? It seems obvious to me that if it isn’t working for you or for him, he will need to be able to hop back on a plane and head home. How about in-between situations? What happens if things are difficult – how do you plan to resolve your differences? It strikes me as a potentially painful and damaging situation for everyone if you buy into the idea that you’re “stuck” with each other.

What made the other two times unpleasant for you? What was good about those two time? If you can address, in your own mind, what didn’t work for you before, you can put plans in place to prevent a repeat. If you can find the bits that worked, you can figure out how to have more of the good.

And since you are agreeing to this, I think it’s important for you to be able to really welcome him. Assume the best, and give him a real chance to meet or surpass your expectations. Expecting him to corrupt your kids and disappoint you isn’t going to be good for anyone. So look inside and figure out how you can be present in a positive way for yourself, your family, and this man.

I realize I haven’t really answered your question. I don’t know the answer – it’s so entirely dependent on the fine details and the individuals. The broad brushstrokes? Look for ways to support his independent endeavors. Protect what you love about your home and your family. Assume that you will be able to solve the problems you encounter.

I hope this is at least a little helpful!

Scary Sounds

2008-06-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

"How might you support a child who hates loud unexpected noises, especially high-pitched ones, but otherwise enjoys places where such noises tend to occur (e.g. swimming pool, playground)?"
--Sallie

Is it the sound or the surprise?

Earplugs?

Headphones and an iPod or an old fashioned walkman? (That would be for the playground, not the swimming pool.)

Watching TV shows or movies that feature shrieking kids, and playing with the reality of such shocking and high pitched sound in a totally controlled environment?

Playing games with making loud unexpected noises – surprising each other, or tagging with sound, or pretend with stuffed animals or dolls?

Have some sort of “come back,” internal or external to the sound and the surprise of it? Maybe a song, a saying, a shudder, a shout… I’m imagining something grounding and assertive, like Gandalf stating “you shall not pass” to the Balrog… Or maybe comparing live shrieks to TV/movie shrieks? Or to sounds made by vehicles, animals, or musical instruments?

It also might help to have the parent playing official tour guide “that sound was made by the girl at the far end of the pool that got splashed right in the face. She’s laughing now, and splashing back, but she sure was surprised by her friend.” “That sound was made by the child that went down the slide. He’s having a lot of fun.” Providing the context, showing that the sounds are not intended to be painful or frightening.

Does this child ever make loud unexpected noises? Maybe even high-pitched ones? If so, it might be worthwhile to point ‘em out. And to notice if those sounds were alarming for anyone in the area. Not in any kind of shaming way, but just matter of fact. Surprising loud noises happen. I think it’s the interpretation of them as scary or bad that is causing the problems here, so figuring out how to reframe them might be really useful.

I hope something here helps.

Oh, sugar sugar...

2008-06-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

“My children want to eat lots of foods that I dislike for their high sugar content and general yuckiness; mainly sweets and candies. I resent buying foods that I would not eat myself and that I can't seriously class as 'food' since they provide little to no nourishment. But I don't want to play the ogre and 'ban' them nor do I want to place them in the realm of desire and fantasy, out of reach and much longed for. I can't get my head around the idea that they will self-regulate when I have seen little evidence for it! Especially when I find sugar so addictive myself and find it hard to regulate when it is in the house. What to do when they seem to want this stuff daily?”
-- Claire

Sweets and candies might be devoid of vitamins and minerals and protein and fiber but all that sugar does provide energy. And they certainly taste good. When it comes to food, I think it’s important to remember that there are many criteria involved in deciding what to eat. Visual appeal, taste, smell, texture, how one feels after eating, ideas about nutrition, and so on. I think it’s all too common for adults to get so hung up on their ideas about nutrition that they forget about the importance of all of those other bits. Add in the heavy weight of parental responsibility for our kids, and you’ve got a recipe for guilt, doubt, despair, and, of course, coercion.

I like to believe that, given lots of options, people will naturally be interested in food that is attractive, tasty, and nourishing. Don’t know if I’m right about that or not, but it’s definitely my bias.

With that assumption in place, I think it makes sense for parents to be very active about offering attractive, delicious, and nourishing food to their kids. Premade candies are usually visually appealing, tasty, and very easy. No preparation required, no adult assistance necessary, just instant gratification. I think it’s common for people who ignore early hunger signs to go for the quick sugar fix once they feel their bodies getting sluggish. So one question that might be worth asking is simply this: how easy is it for kids to have access to other yummy food? How to make sure that good food is easily available? Berry bushes and fruit trees in the yard? Maybe some help yourself frittata on a low shelf in the fridge? Is there a bowl of seasonal fruit on the table? How about cheese cubes or sliced meat on hand in the fridge? Fun individual water bottles? (Sigg has some really nice ones, though they are certainly pricey.) Snack plates with fruit and veggies and meat and cheese and nuts? Fancy bento boxes to take outside?

I think if you shift the focus away from “Ack! They’re eating so much crap!” And on to “Hmmm… What delicious and nutritious food should I offer today?” You distance yourself from fear and policing, and move towards helping them learn about how to best feed their own bodies.

I think it’s also useful to talk about how foods make us feel, what is in different foods and how our bodies use all those different things. In an honest conversation about what’s in food, sugar as a quick source of energy is something that should, I think, be shared, along with some info about how protein helps our bodies build muscles, and how complex carbs help us have sustained energy (instead of the faster highs and lows of simple carbs), the importance of good fats, and on and on. Though, of course, droning on and on at your children, as I’m doing here, is definitely not recommended.

Just go foraging for some wild berries and enjoy a picnic lunch instead.

Ah, I just re-read your original question and I noticed that I glossed over something, namely this: “I resent buying foods that I would not eat myself and that I can't seriously class as 'food' since they provide little to no nourishment.” I think this definitely merits a closer look. Resent it why? Do you resent buying consumable art supplies? Or food that gets turned into magic potions instead of being eaten? Is there a really tight budget at play? I certainly don’t expect or even want you to answer all these questions here, with me – I’m just trying to help you see your own thoughts. Depending on what the underlying issues really are, it might be helpful to think of sweets and candies as belonging in the same realm as art supplies or toys – of course they must be budgeted for, but the money allotted for them should not be the same money that is allotted for food that the whole family eats. Meaning, it seems a mistake to me to deprive yourself of fresh strawberries so that you can buy candies you won’t even enjoy. Reclassifying candy as a fun learning tool instead of as food might help lighten your thinking about it. It might be fun, as a family, to talk about the foods that others would re-classify… Most kids I know are not impressed by having alcohol included in the food budget, for example. And there are always foods one person adores that another can’t imagine eating.

Of course, the other thing I glossed over is the idea that “I find sugar so addictive myself and find it hard to regulate when it is in the house.” Does this mean that they want candy, you buy it, and then you have to fight with yourself to keep from eating it? Or that you end up eating it and feeling crappy? If you can figure out what the real issues here are – financial, your own ideas about sugar addiction, or something else entirely, I think you’ll find ways of solving those problems. Maybe the candy needs to be in a treasure box only the kids have keys for. Maybe you need to start a local chapter of sugar-bingers anonymous. Maybe it’s time to start baking, or buy an ice cream maker.

Maybe I’m missing the most obvious answers of all – if so, maybe my musings will help you find ‘em.

Gone Girlfriend

2008-06-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

“My girlfriend is gone for a couple of weeks. I miss her. What should I do?”
--All Alone and Lonely

Ah, the lewd jokes I could write…

Missing someone means so many different things. I think it can be useful to unravel those strands a bit. Do you miss talking to her? Snuggling with her? Seeing her smile? Playing a game together? Hearing her laugh at a joke?

Figuring out what is missed can make finding a solution easier. (And yes, I do know that sometimes we just miss everything single thing there is about a person. If so, I promise it won't hurt to try some of my ideas anyway. I freely admit that there are no miracle cures.) Talking on the phone can be glorious. Sometimes the extra distance and the focus that the phone imposes create a very valuable space for discussing all kinds of things. Physical touch is important for people – a hug from a friend, visiting a much-loved niece or nephew, getting a massage, taking a very hands-on martial arts class – there are many ways to increase physical contact, which can do a lot to alleviate some feelings of physical isolation. Taking note of mundane things she’ll enjoy hearing about can be great fun. Good pictures of each other can be invaluable. And a well-worn unwashed t-shirt is a great snuggle aid. Of course, hanging out with friends and enjoying games, movies, life – that’s all good. Always good, actually.

I think a lot of my ideas boil down to two basic concepts… Find ways to connect with her and honor her unique importance to you, AND find ways to meet some of the needs she usually fills on your own and with friends.

And then enjoy her homecoming.

Teasing

2008-05-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

“How do you address siblings being mean to each other? Picking on each other, doing/saying the things that *just* annoy the other...? What if just after Timmy says (heart feltedly, or so it seems to parent) "I want Pete to leave me alone!" Timmy is sticking his tongue out at Pete (again!)?

Mind you, I don’t believe either Pete or Timmy are "right" (oh, wouldn’t it be easy to act as a judge then and just send the offender to prison (AKA timeout)... no, no way, it wouldn’t!)”
--Thinking Mom

Ah, this is an interesting one. I think there are really two big pieces to this problem. How can the parent best respond in the heat of the moment? And, how can the parent help prevent siblings from tormenting each other in the future?

Responding in the heat of the moment requires not getting emotionally sucked into the drama. Instead, it’s up to the parents to figure out how to be present and engaged with the children without soaking up their anger and excitement. A sense of humor almost always helps shift the situation in a positive way. Being open to hearing both sides of the story is key to helping both siblings. Believing that all parties have good intentions is also important -- for example, instead of thinking that one child is just out to annoy the other child, consider that one or both children are conducting their own experiments in human psychology. There are better ways to study human psych than using family members as lab rats, but the interest is valid.

Some possibilities for addressing the longer term ramifications…

It might be true that both kids are enjoying the “tormenting.” Sometimes situations look worse to the outside observer than they actually are. It’s possible for people to have a lot of fun pushing each other’s buttons… It’s also very common for the button pushing to, at some point, become painful for one or both people. Still, it’s worth exploring (outside of the heat of the moment) whether the adrenaline rush and excitement of teasing each other and watching the explosive reactions has become a kind of game for both participants. If so, then figuring out how to safely end it when it stops being fun is crucial for both people. When in doubt, ask! Find out what the real issues are, find out what possible solutions are according to those directly involved in the conflict.

If, instead of being fun for both it is sometimes fun for one but not the other, then better ideas for how to play are definitely needed. Big reactions are fascinating to provoke and observe – how do both people feel about surprises as opposed to teasing, for instance? Or making slapstick jokes? Or little pranks like a rubber snake in someone’s shoe or putting a teddy bear in the fridge? The important part of these suggestions is finding a way forward that will be fun for both participants. Learning about how people react to unusual or difficult situations is not inherently bad. Intentionally hurting other people, however, is definitely to be avoided.

Of course, it’s also possible to shift the interest away from the other sibling altogether – to seek out movies and books and TV shows and video games that explore these issues. Or to engage in very intentional people watching in public places – spy games, for instance, or sketching, or just sitting and watching and chatting about what is seen.

Another hugely important thing to consider is that nothing gets a parent’s attention like a screaming sibling. Perhaps the parent needs to be more actively involved with both kids – playing board games together, or setting up art activities, or heading outside for a walk or some playground time together. If a bad dynamic is in place (mom is busy, brother screams, mom suddenly has time for us) then it is really critical for the parent to figure out how to break that dynamic. It can be really helpful in such a situation to talk to the kids about how they can quickly get parental attention. Touching an arm, or making eye contact, or singing a song, or doing some other simple thing... Just thinking good and long, as the parent, about how to be receptive to interruptions, and really listening for early cues can make a world of difference.

And of course, start where you are. No sense wallowing in guilt for setting up a bad dynamic – just get in there and start changing things for the better. Baby steps, toddler steps, giant leaps… Heck, treading water is always better than sinking. Figure out what, if anything, applies and work forward from where you are.

I hope something here helps!

Self Sacrifice

2008-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

"I don't want to make my kids do things they don't want to do, but I hate feeling like their slave. How can I avoid being a martyr? Why does giving them what they want mean giving up what I want?"
--Frustrated mom of four.

Parental self-sacrifice creates unhappy child tyrants and unhappy mama (or papa) martyrs. It is a default solution for the same reason that coercion is a default solution -- we assume from the outset that if there is a conflict, somebody has to lose. When parents and kids who disagree are pitted against each other, as is the case in almost every article in almost every parenting magazine out there, everyone loses. If we accept the me vs. you mentality, then our choices are either to help our kids at our own expense, or to help ourselves while our kids suffer. I always thought I was lucky because my parents perpetually chose to help me while they suffered... Then I became a parent, and you know what, I didn't want to suffer! There must be a better way, I thought...

But how?

The TCS solution to conflicts is to find a common preference. (I'm only talking about genuine conflicts that actually impact both parent and child -- not hair brushing and clothing choices and all that personal domain jazz.) A common preference is a solution that everyone involved truly prefers to any other options that have been discussed. This means that everyone involved is happier with this solution than they were with their original idea. Sounds easy, I think. Sounds possible. Sounds simple.

It's not. At least, not always. When it's simple, you don't even notice it happening. When it's hard, well, you don't think about much else. The thing is, there are no rules now. Everything is open-ended. It's like that trick environmentalist question, what do you say when the cashier asks "paper or plastic?" And the right answer -- "cloth."

Who wins, you or me? The right answer -- we both do. If I want to go out to dinner, and you want to see a movie, our solution might be to eat first then go to the movie, or to sneak take-out into the theater, or to order pizza and rent a video, or to go have a picnic in the park and fly a kite. Solutions are not pre-fabricated. There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all.

So, how on earth does one do this when one is essentially programmed to self-sacrifice? Ya got me! I have no idea.

Okay, that isn't totally true. I think some of the most important things for martyred parents to do include:
-Accepting that even if you feel like you are programmed to self-sacrifice, you have the power and the tools to change that programming.
-Believing that you can change your mind, as can everyone else you love.
-Figuring out what your own personal "self-sacrifice is imminent" physical, emotional, or intellectual warning signs are.
-Figuring out what you really want, in a big-picture way as well as in all the mundane moments.
-Learning how to verbalize what your wants are without accusations or acrimony.
-Getting support from family and friends to enable time alone for pursuing interests that are personally exciting and fulfilling.
-Figuring out how to not do things that you don't want to do. Maybe those things don't need doing, or maybe someone else can do them, or maybe just thinking about all your options will bring you to the realization that you actually do want to do those things after all.
-Remembering that what you do choose to do you are doing for reasons that are important to you.
-Knowing that what you do today does not create debt owed to you. You are making your choices based on what you want now.
-Celebrating your choices, and acknowledging that nobody is making you do anything -- you are your own person.
-Figuring out how to feel empowered and happy with the life that you have created for yourself, and if that feels impossible, then looking long, hard, and deeply at your life to unravel the barriers before you and to find what it is that you truly want for yourself.

As always, I hope something here helps.