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Show BITING ttAyfY LITTLE daughter, three years old last May, Is a lovely love-ly child. She Is healthy and full of life and very affectionate. She likes to play with other children and they seem to like her but we have one dreadful trouble with her. She bites the other children. "She plays along nicely for a time, but before she finishes the game, Is sure to rush up to some perfectly harmless child and bite him or her on the cheek. She doesn't seem to be mean about It. She runs up to the child as though she was loving him, kissing him, and bites him hard. "1 have talked to her, kept her In, spanked her, and still she does this. She says she Is sorry, but the next time she does It again." The child does not bite In anger. The bite Is not a purposeful bite Intended to hurt the other child. It Is an emotional bite and quite Impulsive. Im-pulsive. The child plays hard. She enjoys the association with the other oth-er children. Harder and harder she plays and her excitement mounts as she plays. The energy she releases Is too much for her control. It Is as If a flood rushed over the shallow tracks of controlled Impulses and drowned out all control. The emotion emo-tion runs and works Its will upon the child. To rid herself of It, she bites. What to do? Certainly slapping won't cure It We have to help the child to establish control and that tnkes time and experience. I would have an expert look the child over to see If there"Is anything any-thing he can do to help the child control her excitement Sometimes there Is a physical basis for It Then I would guard against the crisis. I would try to have her play with children who did not overstlm-ulate overstlm-ulate her. The gentler sort of play will help. Then I would stop the game before the crisis. That needs great forethought and skill on your part If you snatch her away In the height of her excitement, she will probably bite you. Redirect her thought Some children bite In anger. That Is another matter and more easily controlled. Some children bite because be-cause they are teething. That means call In the dentist. Spanking and shaking and scolding will not do much good. What I would like to have you believe with me 13 that a child who bites Is not a wicked little monster. mon-ster. There Is a reason underlying his action that calls for careful study and thoughtful behavior on your part . BoU Syndicate. WNU Servlc |