“There are days when everything my boy does pushes
my buttons. I end up feeling like I’m one big button!”
—Peter,
dad of three-year-old Andrew
Toddlers do have a way of pushing our buttons. Their actions can
unleash from within us strong, often irrational
over-reactions. Sometimes
we get so angry we literally can’t think straight or control what we say.
And,
the more stressed we get, the more
we start acting like primitives
ourselves.
What’s the biggest reason we lose it with our toddlers? Their behavior
triggers
demons from our past.
Here’s what I mean: Our kids’ actions
may release sudden waves of
memory. Sometimes these can be wonderful. For example, watching
your child lick the bowl may bring back a happy memory of you making
cookies with your mom. But other times they can be deeply upsetting.
Fragments of painful past experiences
dwell inside us all, waiting for a
catalyst to bring them to the surface again. For example, being slapped
in the face by your two-year-old may suddenly
rekindle the anger you
felt when you were slapped by your father (or, more recently, when you
were insulted by a boss). If your child laughs when you accidentally spill
soup
down your shirt, that might bring back the deep hurt you felt when
you were taunted by schoolmates or mocked by a sarcastic grandmother.
Often we react without any specific memory of a similar situation. But
if you feel a sudden surge of anger, hurt, or resentment, that’s
a pretty
sure sign that your child’s action has tapped into some strongly upsetting
early experience.
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