August 18, 2008
Screamfest
Tara has a habit of screaming, even when she's having fun with her brother or the pets. It's a piercing scream, the kind I could can and sell to horror movie producers. We are trying to break her of this behavior, as it can be disruptive and annoying. Plus, when will we know if she is seriously in trouble??
I grew up in a very quiet house, I don't remember any of us five kids screaming. Austin is a very quiet kid, so this is something we're not really used to even after 3 years of Tara!
Her screams can go from hysterical to laughter in a flash. Sometimes by the time I get into the room, she is laughing with tears still streaming down her cheeks. When I try to remove her from the situation, she gets angry. Sometimes I ignore it. Maybe she just wants attention. Or maybe she is just feeling small and that's her defense mechanism. It's hard to know. I put her in time-out yesterday after a long screech during a pillow fight with her brother. She was more mad at me than him.
If anyone has suggestions on how to deal with this, they would be most appreciated. Or maybe she will just grow out of it? I mean, she won't be screaming when she walks down the aisle to pick up her medical degree....will she? Oh, that would be me screaming. :-)
Posted by Laura at August 18, 2008 09:43 AMfunny, but you don't remember that you were the screamer. That's why you don't remember all the ear drum shattering screaming.
The screeching is working for Tara as a trump card to the situation at hand. Everything comes to a halt when she hits a certain decibal level and she knows that an adult will soon intervene. That's a feeling of power for her, no? Like you said, with her being little, her screaming works in a big way to steer the outcome.
And that is straight from the Freud hotline.
Posted by karen wiz at August 18, 2008 08:56 PM
How about opera lessons?
Posted by sally at August 21, 2008 11:43 AM
hey laura,
i'm afraid i don't have a suggestion on the screaming - haven't had to deal with that one! A friend of mine did and i could ask how she got over it. (her daughter rarely screams now).
wanted to let you know i've put a password on our blog. If you're interested in having it, e-mail me at wwbowyer@cavtel.net.
hope all is well and I love reading the lastest on Tara!
Wendy
Posted by Anonymous at August 21, 2008 09:46 PM