Archive for the ‘Preschoolers’ Category:
Help for a Preschooler Afraid of the Potty
Hi Dr. Heather,
I am in desperate need of help. I have an almost-4-year-old son who is afraid of public restrooms. At 2 1/2 years old, his preschool teacher thought he may have a speech delay so we did early intervention with Easter Seals through the State run program. Turns out he just wasn’t ready to talk. (Now we can’t keep him quiet.) We had started potty training him and he was doing so well at home. I thought nothing of it until we went out and he screamed and cried and just didn’t want to use the public restrooms. He said he was afraid of the noise. He also doesn’t like the restrooms with the auto flush feature. We went to the mall almost every afternoon to try to “desensitize” him of his fear. Within a month he was fine. He would go to the restroom at school and in public.
In August of last year, he started at a new school. He was fine the first month and all of a sudden he stopped going to the bathroom at school. He will use the school’s restroom if I’m there, but he won’t go with his teachers or his classmates. This causes him to have accidents during school…especially at nap time. When I take him to school, we use the restroom. When I pick him up, we use the restroom. But he just won’t go with his teachers.
Now he has a fear that the toilet will clog. He cries while sitting on the toilet, asking if it will clog. I know he has anxiety issues but I’m just getting really frustrated and don’t know how to handle this situation.
What do I do? I’m afraid that his school will not let him come back next year if this keeps happening and more importantly, I’m afraid he’ll be like this as an adult.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Please don’t worry about his future as an adult. So many of these fears are passing things in childhood. Of course I cannot guarantee he won’t be an anxious adult, but the presence of anxiety in early childhood is extremely common and is almost always normal (and passing). Potty fears are one of the most common, especially with those super-loud (and uncontrollable) automatic flushers. Who ever thought THOSE were a good idea?! Nobody with young children, that’s who.
Now, think back: did anything happen at school to upset him? Did the toilet clog one day and overflow? Talk to his teachers; use your parent detective abilities to see if there is any connection to something upsetting that happened. Then you (and his teachers) can try to slowly reacquaint him with the potty, understanding his fears.
I also wonder about his school. What is the teacher/student ratio? Ideally, one teacher would be assigned to assist and support him with potty trials throughout the day, with no pressure. The pressure will only make it worse. These kinds of problems are really not that unusual in preschools. The teachers hopefully can be asked to support him a bit more. Perhaps a brief return to using Pull-Ups might be considered. Ask him if it would help him at school, especially at naptime. He might feel reassured simply to have the option. He shouldn’t be shamed because of it; it’s just a temporary measure until he feels more confident. Assure him that, soon, he’ll feel better about the potty at school but until then, why not use the PullUps so he doesn’t have to worry about an accident? Lots of 3 and 4-year-olds use PullUps.
But I also hear that you have an underlying concern about your son’s anxiety level, and have had good experience with help in the past. Why not ask his previous therapists if they have any suggestions, including the possibility of an evaluation by a child psychologist, just for you to get some more information and hopefully settle your own anxieties about him? Because your son can sense YOUR anxiety too — and you don’t want him to internalize that you’re fearful about him. If you have a concern, promptly get it checked out, so that you can either get him some help (and feel relieved that he should feel better soon), or feel relieved that everything is OK.
Finally, have you checked out my other posts on “Fears”? Go to “Categories” to the right and below this post, then click on “Fears”. There will be several posts that come up — you can keep clicking “older entries” to see even more.
Good luck and let me know if you need more ideas.
Aloha,
Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink
How to Handle Aggression in Your Young Child
Recently, I’ve gotten lots of questions about how to handle aggression in young children. It’s a common concern, and it’s always startling when your previously sweet little baby starts to bite, hit, or generally wreak havoc. How did this happen? Did I do something to cause this? Surely, we rationalize, she’s learning it from daycare…(or a sibling, or a neighbor)…ANYONE but us, right?
Well, she MIGHT be learning it from daycare. But guess what? Aggression is an INBORN DRIVE. Aggression is NATURAL in young children (and older children…and adults!). We ALL have some aggression in us….thankfully. Aggression helps us protect ourselves and our offspring, and, when properly re-directed, gives us energy to pursue our goals in life.
But there’s a lot of parenting “advice” out there that seeks to squash any hint of aggression in our kids, and indeed to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Worse, to punish the expression of it in children.
Instead, we must understand that aggression is a normal drive; as inescapable as hunger, thirst, and the developmental urge to get up and walk. When I see a child in the clinic who expresses NO aggression — THAT worries me.
Of course, the problem is not with aggression per se, but with HOW IT IS EXPRESSED. That’s the key, isn’t it? Aggression must be re-directed appropriately, so as not to be destructive.
So, how do we do that, as parents?
First, get comfortable with aggression, including your own
Yes, your own. I will bet that the Dads reading this won’t have as much difficulty with this part of the assignment. After all, boys and men are typically more direct in their expression of aggression. I’m all for women’s rights, but there’s no doubt that most boys (and men) are more directly aggressive than girls and women. My husband is a lot more comfortable with our kids’ aggressiveness than I am. But I’ve had to learn from him that it’s not good for me to automatically chastise the kids simply for being aggressive — kids need healthy outlets for their aggression, as long as they’re not hurting anyone (or anything).
Moms need to understand that we, too, have an aggressive drive within us. Think about it. How do you channel your aggression? One friend of mine goes on a pounding run. Another paints vivid pictures. My sister likes horror films. Personally, I’m a head-banger. I feel so much better after a good power walk, listening to Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins or Black Sabbath (am I dating myself here, or what?). Get comfortable with your own aggression, and think about how you channel it in a positive way. Then, think about how you can help your children with the same issue.
Next, convey this to your kids:
I understand you want to break that toy. I know you’re mad. That’s OK. But I can’t let you break things. Sometimes when I get mad I listen to loud music and jump up and down. Wanna try it with me? Or: You guys can’t hit each other. I know you got mad at each other. Let me help you use your words to say how mad you are at each other. Then when we’re done, we’ll try to find out how we can be friends again.
More tips on handling aggression
For babies and young toddlers (up to about 18 months), IGNORE it as much as possible.
(And yes, even babies express aggression. What breastfeeding mother can’t attest to that? One minute you’re having a nice nursing session, and then all of a sudden — OUCH! Your sweet baby has decided to act out his aggressive impulses — on your nipple!) If baby is biting, physically stop her, in as unemotional manner as possible (you don’t want her to be reinforced by a big reaction from you), and try to move on. Babies will misinterpret any chastisement, and internalize it as shame. Not good.
For older toddlers, you can express your understanding of the emotion, but firmly show him what you’d prefer. You also want to praise and reinforce his HEALTHY expression of frustration and aggression. I know that little girl made you mad. I could see you were upset. But I am so proud of you for being a big boy and walking away from her. You didn’t hit. Great job! And try really, really hard to stay unemotional about it yourself. Easier said than done, I know, but if your child can trigger YOUR annoyance and aggression easily, it’s reinforcement for his own aggression. If you act out your aggression, so will they.
For preschoolers, you can talk more about their conflicts and help them role play or plan out problem situations in advance, or even after the fact. I know Ashley sometimes makes you mad. What will you do in school today if Ashley upsets you again? Can we practice what you might say or do, instead of hitting? Or try a role-playing exercise. OK, I’ll pretend I’m Ashley, and you try using your words instead of hitting. Let’s practice.
I also want to say a bit about “scary stories”. Preschoolers naturally gravitate towards “scary stories”, because they fulfill an important psychological function. They offer a way to SAFELY MASTER FEARS — as well as their own aggression. Because fears and aggression are related, psychologically. Fears crop up when children start to see what their OWN aggression can cause. They then start to generalize this fear of aggression to others. Some parents or “experts” suggest avoiding scary stories, but this is actually counterproductive. It’s important to give your child an opportunity to process and deal with scary things in a safe and manageable way. Why do you think the classic fairy tales have been around so long? Because they offer children a chance to process their natural aggression and fears. Of course, follow your child’s lead. Don’t expose him to scary stuff he can’t handle. But recognize that it’s important psychologically to allow him to deal with aggression in stories, at school, and at home.
In general, you want to convey your empathy and support for all your child’s feelings. When he feels understood, it will be easier to show him how to appropriately channel and redirect his aggression and other negative feelings. This is an important lesson for him to learn now, so that he can manage his aggressiveness throughout his life.
Aloha,
Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink
Advice for a preschooler who HUGS too much
Dear Dr. Heather,
My 3-year-old son started nursery school a few weeks ago. Everything is fine except that he hugs the other kids too much! They do not want him to hug them and they wind up hitting him or running from his approach. The teachers have tried to talk to him about it and asked me to please try again tonight. Today he came home with 2 more scratches on his face. I don’t know what to tell him to make him understand, and I want him to have a good experience at school. Help!
London Dad
Dear London Dad,
Even though it may seem like your son is the only one with difficulties in transition to school, believe me, he’s not. They all have their little variations on the theme. I myself have just now returned from dropping off my 3-year-old at his new preschool. He’s not a “hugger”, but he is a “clingy whiner”. Another of the kids there gets upset when the teacher pays attention to other children, and another strips down to her undies when she misses her parents! This is a difficult time of year in terms of transitions to new things for our little ones. Usually, a few weeks max is all it takes to get used to a new school. But those weeks can feel punishingly, guiltily LONG for us parents!
Your little guy is so young and new to the preschool setting. He really can’t be expected to get all the social niceties completely worked out yet. Ideally, you want him with a teacher who can help him to transition and learn how to interact with the other kids so that they all have fun together. This should not be a “scolding” thing, but rather a “fun/learning” thing.
As I said, there are other kids there who are struggling as well with the transition, but in different ways. It’s normal; we can’t expect a 3-year-old to transition to such a new setting without some bumps and wrinkles. So don’t feel too bad about it, and try to convey a positive attitude to him. You can practice with him how to greet friends — lots of “high fives” and “good morning!” greetings. Give him lots of praise when he seems to improve and “get it”. Help him greet his friends once he arrives at school — stay with him 1-1 down on his level until he says hello to everyone. Don’t make it a chore, but simply help him do it in a good way, and again — give lots of praise. And when he gets home, reinforce the positive steps he took during school that day, and practice “how we say hello” to others at school.
Please talk with the teacher(s) about the issue and ask for their help and guidance and suggestions. Good teachers will have come across this before (many times!) and will not be put off by it or scold him for it. And be happy that he’s a sociable little guy!
Hang in there and let us know how it goes.
Aloha,
Dr. Heather
The BabyShrink
