snowdeal.org > ex machina: pregnancy update: thinking about tantrums

ex machina

pregnancy update: thinking about tantrums

given my impending fatherhood, it's probably not surprising that i'm finding myself reading more and more online parenting resources as i try to get myself informed about being a dad. of course, i'm aware that anything i might think i know will blown away when "the boots hit the ground", but it's still good to start pondering this stuff ahead of time. take, for instance, tantrums. what the heck do you do about tantrums? we've quietly been taking notes over the years, and it seems that no matter how hard you try, tantrums are inevitable. and just as inevitable, it seems, are the gentle "power struggles" that emerge from tantrums. do you just let them play out? are you a bad person for letting your screaming toddler scream away in the beer aisle of the convenience store? in any case, Cry for Connection: A Fresh Approach to Tantrums seems to make a lot of intuitive sense:

"But what if, contrary to what we've grown up believing, tantrums and other expressions of feelings are actually useful? What if a tantrum is like an emotional sneeze--a natural reaction meant to clear out foreign material? Perhaps the usual struggle of parent versus child at emotional moments doesn't have to take place. Perhaps we can throw away the mental chalkboard on which every meltdown is a mark against our children or ourselves."

but what do i know? if anyone has any advice, i'd be mighty obliged. hey, john and snakehairedgirl [ and others ], i'm talking to you.

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5/05/2004 11:00:00 PM 0 comments

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[ rhetoric ]

“"it is hard to be brave," said piglet, sniffing slightly, "when you're only a Very Small Animal." rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: "it is because you are a very small animal that you will be Useful in the adventure before us."”

the complete tales & poems of winnie the pooh

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this site chronicles the continuing adventures of my son, odin, who was unexpectedly born on the fourth of july at 25 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound 7 ounces.

he's quite a fighter and you can always send him a postcard to the most current address listed here if you're inspired by his adventures. see the postcard project/google maps mashup to see a map of the postcards.

if you're new, you can browse the archives to catch up. and don't forget to watch a few movies that i made while we were in the neonatal intensive care unit. or if you want the abridged version and you can find a copy, you can read about his adventures in the november 2005 issue of parents magazine.

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