Household Drama
I am unhappy with some of the things I see in Will’s normal play. He is attached to his harmonica these days (he carries it everywhere) and in play, will jab it in the air and at our legs. I think this borders on aggression and it bothers me.
More upsetting to me is how Will can physically act out when frustrated. With Paul now suddenly gone, Will has gotten even more attached to me. He is great with Kate, but clearly feels the change of no longer being the only center to our child universe. The number of time outs has increased, as have Will’s tantrums, requests for binky, and things that I feel are aggressive in his actions.
We are very clear on how we feel about aggressive acts: they are scary, dangerous, mean-spirited, and not acceptable. When other kids have engaged in this type of play around Will, we’ve taken time to explain how we feel about them and have been proud to report that he routinely walks away from this type of play with other kids. Since coming to Mobile, Will’s television and movie time has increased greatly. In particular, he’s had exposure to things that are new to him: movies. So, my thought is that maybe we are sending mixed messages. Peter Pan and Captain Hook spar off with each other, Buzz Lightyear and Woody have physical fights and are still friends … so maybe he’s learning that these things are okay. Following this train of thought, I figure that we should cut these things out for a few years. Not forever, but just until he’s a little older and we can explain things better.
So, my question: is this a reasonable approach? Or I am living in a dream world?
Further: by suggesting that we cut these things, I’ve stepped on some family toes. (Granted, I haven’t been the most diplomatic in my mode of discussion.) Is suggesting a change in the current mode of operation an insult?
