Saturna

my son is coming up on his 2.5 year mark. when i was pregnant, i learned all about child development, and one thing i am finding is very true in his case is the cycle of equilibrium and disequilibrium.

this idea is that there are six month cycles. at about one year of age, a child is able to take and and process what he or she is learning fairly cabably. this is not to say that there are no meltdowns, etc. - just that these are at a minimum. then as they grow to the halfway point of their year, they are taking in so much information, processing so much learning, that they are much more volatile, quicker to upset, and more demanding. they do not handle transitions as well, even something simple like leaving the house to go to the park, or having bathtime.

(on an aside, i am wondering if this concept operates throughout our lives, and if it is somehow tied to, or reflected in, the workings of astrology. i know that for myself, the summer is very hard on me, from the physical aspects of heat and humidity, to the mental and emotional aspects of the general energy. it also happens that this is the time when the sun is opposite my sun sign, so it is almost as if there is a constant struggle. the relief i feel when the sun begins to move back towards winter is palpable - like a tremendous weight lifted, or like a cool breeze on a 90 degree day.)

supposedly, the answer to getting through a child's disequilibrium stages is self-care. you cannot really change what they are going through.... they must go through it. what you can do is get more rest yourself, do small things to make yourself more patient and better able to deal with the higher maintenance situation.

i must say that i must not be doing a very good job of this right now, for i am at my wits end with my son. everything, everything is a constant struggle. he does not want to go to the park (even though we all know he really does.), he does not want to leave the park. he does not want to take a bath, he does not want to get out of the bath. he wants to walk everywhere, which i completely understand, but this is impossible when i am with him in the grocery at one in the afternoon on a sunday. it goes on and on and on.

i am well aware that this is unlikely to improve anytime soon, and i accept this fact. i will, however, kindly ask the universe to ease up on me a little, ease up on him a little, remind me that i need to take care of myself, and help me make that happen.

i'll start by taking a nap, right now.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 2nd, 2005 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.