calm blue ocean calm blue ocean calm blue ocean

[valkryor]

I think I finally understand why parents shake babies.

Tired and very frustrated last night, I became quite angered and wanted to lash out at the cause of that anger.

But Shannon doesn't mean to be frustrating, so it's not her fault. And lashing out at someone who's helpless is the mark of a very low person.

I know that it has nothing to do with her heart condition or the 22q11 microdeletion. I found out today when talking to the nurse practitioner at the echocardiogram lab (who has a 15 month old girl) that parents of healthy children feel the same frustration and have the same desire to lash out when the baby won't settle or is colicky.

I managed to get what now passes as enough sleep these days last night, so I'm much calmer tonight.

I didn't shake the baby, but now I know what the urge to do so feels like.

Comments

[wildelf.livejournal.com]

Take that anger... and aim it downstairs. THEY'RE punchable. And shakeable.

i second that motion

[meowster.livejournal.com]

in fact, when you get tired of punching and shaking them, you can tag me in and i'll take over :o)

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

Many years ago I was spending the night at a friend's house. Her two year old daughter was having trouble adjusting to the recent separation of her parents, and was missing her father. So, she cried. And cried. And cried. And...well, you get the idea.

I was sleeping down the hall from the bedrooms on the couch, so I had a good view every time my friend went across the hall to try and comfort her child.

Then, sometime in the wee small hours, my friend went across the hall for the umpteenth time and...the crying stopped. Completely. For good.

My first thought was that she'd suffocated the child. My next was that it certainly was nice and quiet. The third, that probably she hadn't killed her child. After all, there were witnesses. My final thought was that if she had in fact killed her child the next day was going to be complete hell, so I'd better take advantage of the quiet and get some sleep while I could.

So, yeah, totally get where that urge comes from.

And she hadn't killed her child.

Re: i second that motion

[valkryor.livejournal.com]

Now that sounds like a plan...

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

It's like the whole Last Temptation of Christ issue. Some people find it offensive to imagine that Jesus suffered temptations, but the whole point was that a person who is holy because they are fundamentally immune to temptation has accomplished nothing. The remarkable life is that of the person who is plagued by temptation but resists.

[hare-mengele.livejournal.com]

I always thought it was because of rock music with lyrics like, "shake it -baby- shake it."

I won't quit my day job...