I often feel guilty about sitting my toddler in front of the Wiggles when I want to get things done or need a bit of "me time". However, when I read articles about this kind of child abuse, I feel ok about it. I'm sure this kid would have wished his mother had dealt with the extreme frustration parenting can bring by sitting him in front of the TV for half an hour - better than a punch in the face.
My first toddler was an angel, a little whisper in his ear brought on the most sickeningly angelic behaviour by my friend's kids standards. So it was hard for me to understand my friend's frustration. Not that I was judgmental; I'd read all the relevant books and I knew how lucky I was. My second child is far more militant, and now I completely understand the screaming red rage that an innocent child can bring out in you just by being their "growing-up", "inquisitive", "discovering independence" selves. My toddler can hit raw nerves using her voice alone - she's a master - by the end of the day I can be an emotionally exhausted wreck. I now view my friend with a deep respect and awe for the way she managed to keep her cool in the face of "very active toddler" behavioural issues.
If I can lose it to the degree that I know my toddler and I need to be separated NOW or very bad things will ensue. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in that situation and have the crippling disadvantages of drug addiction (read, lack of control over actions) and a lack of parenting education.
If parenting education and drug rehab is too expensive, perhaps we could hand out wiggles DVDs and the means to play them? Wouldn't it be nice if that were a viable solution? :-(
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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