I had been assuming that my 3-nearly-4-year-old's fits and melt-downs were "just" a stage. A phase that would pass like so much else at this age. Assuming and hoping, I guess, that this was a chapter we'd look back on a contentedly sigh that we had made it through - ideally with as much poise as possible.
And maybe it is. Maybe he's regressing as the baby hits milestones like sitting, rolling over, eating, interacting, and playing. Maybe he's going through a developmental stage that has his emotions overwhelmed as he is able to do so much more, reason so much more, understand so much more, learn so much more, and be responsible for so much more. Maybe he is jealous of the two-year-old who is a hilarious goofball that charms everybody with his silliness.
But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if he is "just" that sensitive. I remember my little brother crying a lot - or what seemed like a lot to me, his elder by 3 years. Some of it was at the brunt end of my own teasing, but in general I feel like he cried often. Maybe my son is highly sensitive by nature, not merely because of his age.
And if it is his character, how do I show him that he is loved for exactly who he is, all the while also trying to teach him to toughen up a bit so the world doesn't tear him apart? Father, rain down your grace on my parenting, that it may flow from me as rivers of patience with currents of gentleness and wisdom.
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