Headbanger
By Glinda
No, my daughter isn’t into heavy metal.
At least, not yet.
But what she is into is banging her head on whatever convenient hard surface is nearest her when she gets angry or frustrated.
Here’s how the scenario plays out:
1) The Munchkinette doesn’t get something that she wants, whether it be a toy or to remain in my lap or a gazillion other things that upset her.
2) She proceeds to cry very loudly.
3) I don’t really pay any attention to her.
4) That of course, makes her even more angry.
6) She will then bend over from the waist and begin hitting her head on the hardest, most painful surface that is nearest her. This ranges anywhere from concrete to tile to marble to drywall.
7) She then hurts her head.
8 ) She then starts crying even louder because her head also hurts, not to mention that thing she is still angry about although she’s probably sort of forgotten what it was at this point. But she’s STILL MAD.
9) Looks to me for sympathy.
10) Sees me shake my head and tell her that if she didn’t hit her head, it wouldn’t hurt.
11) STILL MAD.
12) Continues crying until distracted by something else.
This occurs almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
Her brother never pulled anything remotely like this. Usually if I told him to stop doing something or that he couldn’t have something, he would whine and move on. No throwing himself to the ground, no screaming. He really only had a few tantrums, and those were over relatively quickly.
My daughter, though, is an entirely different story.
I’m beginning to think that my daughter, as much as I love her, isn’t very bright.
March 10th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
My little girl does that too. She’ll even attempt to bang her head against me, the dog, the slide, the WHATEVER she can find.
March 11th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
I’m totally NOT implying that your girl is not bright, Aurora! I was trying to be wry.
It’s just that I find the whole thing so frustrating!
March 10th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
My sister’s oldest did that too, seeking out appropriately hard objects to bang his head on. He grew out of the phase, and he’s actually very bright.
March 12th, 2011 at 3:08 am
As I said above, I was trying to make light of the situation because it drives me nuts.
I just wonder about her ability at this point to realize consequences, that’s all.
Or perhaps because she is not very verbal, she gets so upset that it completely overtakes any logical thought process?
I dunno.
March 12th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
Oh, Glinda, children her age are not logical at all! She is just completely overwhelmed by her emotions and is releasing them in the only way she knows how. My toddler grinds her teeth or runs around the house shrieking “noooooooooo!” or throws herself on the floor in full tantrum mode. She is only two, and she will do better once she learns the words to express herself.
March 13th, 2011 at 4:26 am
You see, I am used to the way the Munchkin operates, which is totally different than her, even when he was young.
Yeah, I know, get used to it. 🙂
March 14th, 2011 at 10:25 am
I knew what you meant. I agree – I just think she’s soo mad, or sooo upset, or whatever, and she’s not getting the response from me she wants, and she knows that I respond with cuddles and hugs to “Owie!!! Mommy!!!”