Houston, We Have A Screamer

Despite her inclination toward high drama and exuberant conversation skills, Little Diva was a mellow baby and toddler. I observed more than one poor mommy in Walmart giving up on a cart full of Fruit Loops and Sunny D, to shepherd their bellowing child out of the store before someone called D.S.S.  And I would silently count my blessings.

But as I am quickly learning, they break the mold after every child, and no two are ever the same.  In our case, The Baby is a screamer.  I have to admit, I am not always sure how to deal with it.  I AM sure that I probably don't always do the right thing.

For example, I was on the phone a few days ago making an appointment for Little Diva.  The Baby was babbling in the background and I apologized to the Lady on the Phone for the background noise.  "Kids, you know, ha ha." The Baby decided she really needed to be heard. She started SCREAMING. Really, really loud.  Well, I did what any responsible mother would do.  I busted up.  I couldn't help it.  Yes, it was embarrassing, but it was also really funny.  I could not get a word in between the screams and it made me laugh.  Well, this of course, just made things worse.  It encouraged Little Diva to get in on the action.

Most of the time, though, I am not laughing. It is a painful experience to feel like you are subjecting your child to torture every time you strap them into the car, take them shopping with you, or put them down for a nap.  Other times, I wonder if The Baby is attention-starved and screams to get her fair share. Is she suffering from Second Child Syndrome and trying to compete with high energy Little Diva?

It is most likely just her way to communicate.  She has found a voice. A very high pitched, eardrum-shattering voice. In some ways, I am happy that she is starting to express herself verbally.  A few words come out now and then, so we know she kind of gets what is going on around her. That is really cool.  So the screaming is part of her unique journey and I am wondering if Xanax ear plugs should be a part of mine.