Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Ugh, WHY???

As a parent, you are extremely aware of your child's every action and sound. In the back of your mind you worry about teaching them things that aren't necessarily correct. But at least you know to stop doing it and to correct yourself. But really, you've forgotten this was another of your fears: leaving your child around another of the same age.

Have you ever had your child around another child and by the next day, they're behaving like them? Your nightmare is a reality. The other child, although not bad or doing anything wrong, had become a vehicle to your child by way of your own personal crazy train. Habits, noises, anything that's NOT like your child's normal behavior can make you bonkers.

I'm worried because Jonathan was starting to learn how to talk, and now he's throwing his toys and he's making sounds like a canary. I blame myself for allowing him out, but Larry just says not to think about it, that "Jonathan had to eventually discover his noises anyway." Hard to swallow when you're around your baby 24 hours a day with no breaks.

I feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall. It's like I have a completely different child. And it's my fault for allowing it to happen. I'm sure those of you who know my son would notice very little change which I'm sure is true, but as his mother, it's starting to feel like the end of the world. All I can think of is what Larry said, "If you want him to grow up normally and well-rounded, you can't keep him in the house away from all other children...." Why not? Can't I? I don't want to be a psycho mother, but shoot. I might end up going that way if he picks up anymore things that grind on my nerves.

4 comments:

Mary P said...

Wow, I never thought about that, but I can see why it'd break your heart.

Hopefully, he'll grow tired of it, or learn a new trick, especially if he gets more attention from doing other things.

Hang in there!


(Also, have you ever heard of Reaction Range? Some people/children have large ones and are more affected by their environment, others have smaller ranges. It's a way of being sensitive, so know that not all of your children may pick things up so quickly.)

Little Yancey Family said...

At this age I truly wouldn't worry about it much. Jaden is always picking up new things from all kinds of children. He'll keep it up for awhile but if the new behavior isn't rewarded he quickly fades back to his old routine. On the other hand, if you have a late crawler or walker or stair goer downer, learning from other children can be the best thing ever!

Brwrr said...

Sorry Beka! I'll tell Brett to stop being such a bad influence... ;)

DHemsath said...

I can't help but suspect that Jason might have been the influential baby to which you refer. His happy noises can be a bit overwhelming. But no matter what noises Johnnie makes, or where he got them from (and Lars is right, he's going to discover some things on his own without parents or fellow babies showing him first) maybe it will help to think of the canary noises as his ways to communicate with you. Rather than thinking of it as NOISE, and throwing things, just realize that your incredibly smart baby is trying to communicate. And if he enjoys squawking like a bird, try and laugh with him. I have to fight feelings of embarrassment sometimes when I'm out in public and Jason does one of his happy shreeks, but I've learned to not be embarrased. He's a happy baby. And that's something to be proud of, not embarrassed by. Hang in there Beka. Before long he'll learn new tricks and maybe you'll even be longing for him to go back to canary talk!