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Discussion question of the week:
It's Scary Now
Melanie describes being frightened by the sight of Ivy's eyes in this issue, because something about them reminds her that the baby represents scary unknowns. But she didn't used to be afraid of meeting her eyes at all. Can you think of anything that didn't used to scare you that scares you now? If so, do you know what experience led you to seeing that thing as frightening?

NOTES FROM OTHERS:

SHO! 3/13/11 20:09

Interesting advice from someone with kids. In my experience loud and sudden sounds often scare babies into hysterics.
.Z.

swankivy:

Yes, but . . . hysterics, if they were to occur, would also possibly make her stop what she was doing. The baby's parents used to do it to her when she was younger, too; her dad used to clap his hands and get her attention while she was eating, and it worked. Noises seem to intimidate her and make her subservient instead of aggressive. It happened with the thunder, too--she became sweet and dependent. I guess Theresa has just noticed that Ivy cringes when she gets yelled at. And if it's an emergency, parents do this in general all the time. A kid is running into the road, you might bark at them and clap your hands and scare the crap out of them, but as long as they stop running into the road, you don't care. It's all about forcibly changing the child's attention.

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SHO!	3/13/11	20:09
Interesting advice from someone with kids. In my experience loud and sudden sounds often scare babies into hysterics. .Z.
swankivy:
Yes, but . . . hysterics, if they were to occur, would also possibly make her stop what she was doing. The baby's parents used to do it to her when she was younger, too; her dad used to clap his hands and get her attention while she was eating, and it worked. Noises seem to intimidate her and make her subservient instead of aggressive. It happened with the thunder, too--she became sweet and dependent. I guess Theresa has just noticed that Ivy cringes when she gets yelled at. And if it's an emergency, parents do this in general all the time. A kid is running into the road, you might bark at them and clap your hands and scare the crap out of them, but as long as they stop running into the road, you don't care. It's all about forcibly changing the child's attention.