Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Floor Fits and other Foolery



Talking on the "phone"
First, let me say that fourteen months is a rollercoaster. Most of the time Macie is a delightfully entertaining child (no bias, right?). She constantly charms me with her earnest grin, sparkling blue eyes, and tremendous energy and enthusiasm. I swear she understands everything I say and responds appropriately. When I grab my purse and say, “let’s go” she walks to the door. When I ask if she wants to go to sleep she walks to her room. When I ask if she wants something she says, “ya, ya” and nods her head. In addition to her improved receptive skills, her verbal language skills have improved as well. Most of her communication is a constant stream of baby talk, but her English words have increased to “momma”, “dada”, “daddy”, “dog” (her favorite), “duck”, “ya”, “moo”, “ooh ooh, aah aah” (monkey sounds), etc. Even though I can’t understand most of what she says, we still have very interesting conversations. Macie nods her head, fluctuates her voice and language flow, widens her eyes, and moves her hands in emphasis. Talking on the “phone” is one of her favorite things to do. Although a cell phone is preferred, she will use anything (paper, the remote, her hand, etc.) as a phone. It is hilarious to hear her have imaginary conversations on the “phone”, especially when she starts yelling and shrieking at people. Her physical development has greatly progressed as well. Macie has quickly learned how to run (mostly away from me) and dances up a storm. She keeps us entertained with her antics, increased affection and responsiveness, and energy. In short, Macie is an incredibly enjoyable little person- most of the time J.

Raiding the Refrigerator
Despite all the good times, there is one new development that I am not happy with- the floor fit. Most people don’t expect to see their child throw themselves on the floor in a tantrum until age two. Dr. Maxine Bauermeister, a professor of Early Childhood education at Webster University, told me that fourteen months is fairly early for floor tantrums and that Macie is ahead of the curve. This means that Macie is going through an independent stage and asserting herself both verbally and physically. Every parent wants their child to be intelligent and developmentally on track (maybe even advanced), but no one wants their child to be advanced when it comes to displaying attitude and challenging behavior. I have no idea where her sass comes from….

Floor Fits in Action

We have witnessed a lot of floor fits in this house lately. Today, for example, Macie has thrown herself to the ground at least six times. They start with Macie shrieking in anger/annoyance when you take something away or do something she doesn’t like. Then she looks at you with raised eyebrows and wide eyes as if to say, “are you going to make me throw a fit?”. The most minor offenses result in a verbal challenge. Lately it is in response to me barring her entry to the food cabinets. If you ignore Macie’s warning/challenge and continue with the offensive behavior (i.e. don’t give into her) then Macie throws herself to the ground in anguish, howling like a banshee, and convulsing like a fish out of water.

These fits of rage usually last between 30 seconds to 3 minutes. When Macie is finished expressing her exasperation she gets up and carries on with her day like nothing ever happened. The first time Macie threw herself on the floor I laughed and gawked at her behavior in amusement. Now I just ignore the tantrums and/or walk away. I’m not quite sure what Macie hopes to accomplish with these sudden outbursts of fury, but she certainly doesn’t get a reaction from me. Hopefully Macie will realize that this is an ineffective method of getting her way (not to mention a total waste of energy) and these foolish floor fits will cease. Wishful thinking, perhaps?


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