Wednesday, October 24, 2018

A comparitive view helps when thinking about normal

The more time I spend around other children who are the same age as my son, the better I feel.

I'll explain.

Like many parents, I have often wondered if my son's behavior is "normal." This is something most parents wonder. We wonder why we have to ask our child multiple times to put their shoes on, or to not run screaming through the house, or we get frustrated when we beg our child to leave the cat alone because she doesn't want to be picked up. "Is this normal?" we ask ourselves throughout the day.

(Hint: Yes. Yes it is.)

But it is hard to accept chaos as within the realm of normal since we don't always remember acting this way when we were children. So, I go and visit my son's classroom. Or I hang out with his scout pack. And I see all types of behavior. And he is just like every other kid.

Normal.

I think this is a truly helpful activity for parents of single children. With multiple children, you get the proof right there in your own household. But sometimes we need to be reminded that there is a wide range of normal. And your child probably fits into it.

If you don't believe me, or if you need an expert to tell you the same thing, then here is a link that will help break down the stressful nature of worrying about your child's behavior.

The point of this is not to compare your child's behavior to another child's and wish that your child was more like them. Rather, try to understand that there are is a lot of wiggle room in behavior and that no child is perfect.

What do you worry about when it comes to your child's behavior? Tell me in the comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment