Enter the era of the One Loud Shriek

In a previous post, Felicity commented on how her one-(ish)-year-old had "one very loud shout" for everything he wants.

We have also truly entered the era of the One Loud Shriek. And after Felix was sick, this intensified to a loud shriek whenever I wasn't in line of sight or in the same room. Nobody could placate Felix, it had to be Mommy.

My friend A says she has experimented with Baby Sign for her daughter and while it seemed like a mission to me at the time, perhaps she was actually doing it to try to quell the Shriek. Maybe if your kid can sign "juice" he needn't express "Actually, Mom, I'm still a bit thirsty. May I please have some more of that delicious cold beverage?" as "AAAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE! EE-EE-EE-EE-EE-EE-E-E-E!"

My friend E thinks maybe it's to do with frustration at not being as mobile as their little minds are ready for. Her son is also not yet crawling. And I can feel the frustration steaming of King Felix as he reaches for something too far away or can't get somewhere soon enough. (Also, since he's been sick, he's walking FAR less than he used to - no more than a few steps by himself. The rest of the time, he executes this move where he grabs my finger and leans his entire body weight forward. I'm a real drag, I am.)

And from blogs I've read, (like this one from July this year) A, E and I are not the only ones who have experienced this. People everywhere express difficulty dealing with The Shriek, and I do think it's a challenge. Sometimes I think I don't really know how to deal with this one. Actually, I confess. I hate the Shriek.

Shopping is fun, for example. Felix in Pick n Pay and a long queue - I now know what it feels like to be one of those parents who get stared at in the shops. "What are you DOING to your child?" is clearly written on their tight expressions. I always promised myself I'd keep cool and calm during tantrums and not be mean to my child, because they're not trying to be nasty. They're just expressing themselves in the only way they can, for now. But it's hard.

Ah well.

Felix had a spell of intense separation anxiety around 6 (or was it 8? The memory ain't what it used to be) months where I couldn't be out of sight or he'd get seriously distressed. And it seems to be flaring up again - I do know it's a stage, possibly because he has a memory of how sick he was? It will pass.

Earplugs, anyone?