Comments on: Sympathy for the Vivi http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/2008/08/28/sympathy-for-the-vivi/ Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:04:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brendon Etter http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/2008/08/28/sympathy-for-the-vivi/comment-page-1/#comment-143 Brendon Etter Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:54:05 +0000 http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/?p=113#comment-143 (adopts British accent)... we used to dream of only an hour of screamin'!.... (drops British accent) A lot of it will disappear with language acquisition, of course, and then persist in new form for sixteen more years until logic acquisition grabs hold around nineteen or twenty. (adopts British accent)… we used to dream of only an hour of screamin’!…. (drops British accent)

A lot of it will disappear with language acquisition, of course, and then persist in new form for sixteen more years until logic acquisition grabs hold around nineteen or twenty.

]]> By: Shan http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/2008/08/28/sympathy-for-the-vivi/comment-page-1/#comment-136 Shan Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:04:35 +0000 http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/?p=113#comment-136 Yes! Brendon! You should! At least she isn't usually screaming for 45-60 minutes at a time every bedtime like she was last month. I mean, sometimes she does, but usually it's shorter than that these days. Progress. Yes! Brendon! You should! At least she isn’t usually screaming for 45-60 minutes at a time every bedtime like she was last month. I mean, sometimes she does, but usually it’s shorter than that these days. Progress.

]]> By: Brendon Etter http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/2008/08/28/sympathy-for-the-vivi/comment-page-1/#comment-135 Brendon Etter Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:11:05 +0000 http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/?p=113#comment-135 Our middle one was a non-stop screamer. "Colicky" until she hit about 2, and then just hyper-sensitive until 7... Sounds like the crying is partly just routine - what she feels like she should be doing - partly because she is filled with existential dread; staring into the great void of her life and asking, "Is that all there is?" All kidding aside, it's painfully difficult, but you have to detach from it somewhat. There's such a blurry line between comforting and assisting with legitimate needs and enabling demanding or inappropriate behavior. Almost impossibly blurry. It's messy, and no one gets it "right." It sucks. It sucks ass. It might even suck double-ass. Perversely though, if you believe you're getting it right, you are; because she'll become convinced that everything is o.k. Parents are all fascists in that way, and children are their willing proles. I should write parenting advice columns... Our middle one was a non-stop screamer. “Colicky” until she hit about 2, and then just hyper-sensitive until 7…

Sounds like the crying is partly just routine – what she feels like she should be doing – partly because she is filled with existential dread; staring into the great void of her life and asking, “Is that all there is?”

All kidding aside, it’s painfully difficult, but you have to detach from it somewhat. There’s such a blurry line between comforting and assisting with legitimate needs and enabling demanding or inappropriate behavior.

Almost impossibly blurry. It’s messy, and no one gets it “right.”

It sucks. It sucks ass.

It might even suck double-ass.

Perversely though, if you believe you’re getting it right, you are; because she’ll become convinced that everything is o.k.

Parents are all fascists in that way, and children are their willing proles.

I should write parenting advice columns…

]]> By: Jordan http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/2008/08/28/sympathy-for-the-vivi/comment-page-1/#comment-132 Jordan Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:20:50 +0000 http://www.tassava.com/blowing-and-drifting/?p=113#comment-132 That age can be so difficult, but as you know, it will pass. Sounds to me like once she's able to communicate more of the complex ideas in her head, her frustration will decrease. Hang in there! That age can be so difficult, but as you know, it will pass. Sounds to me like once she’s able to communicate more of the complex ideas in her head, her frustration will decrease. Hang in there!

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