Braden still hasn’t stopped screaming his head off. In fact, he seems to have stepped it up a notch, and added another lovely behavior: The Fake Cry. “Wah-huh, Wah-huh, Wah-huh…*pant, pant, hyperventilate* Wah-huh, Wah-huh, Wah-huh!!!” So, there’s that now, too, along with The Shriek.
We tried and failed miserably at Operation Ignore The Shriek. Because, DUDE. You can’t ignore The Shriek. The Shriek demands your attention! The Shriek calls you to action!
The Shriek? MAKES YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF.
Ignore it. Mmm, hm. How do you ignore the fact that you are standing in the kitchen, holding an ice pick up to your temple, and you have no idea how you got there? Huh?
I’ve started time-outs with Braden recently. Oh, wow. THAT is fun. They really seem to diffuse his craptastic behavior for awhile, but that’s after I have to watch him cry about being in time-out. YUCK. And let’s not forget that it’s all about me, so that sucks, right? Hah.
But seriously, the screaming has to go.
I have nightmares where my son’s mouth is fused to my ear, and The Shriek is on a never-ending loop. And there’s blood coming out of my other ear, my eyes have popped out of my face, and my hands are scratching down my cheeks, nails leaving behind long, deep gouges. What? That’s not at all psycho. Stop looking at me like that.
But, does he really need his vocal chords? I mean, kids learn sign language pretty quickly, right???
Of course, he also does some loud things that are really cute… so, hm.
I guess I’ll let him keep them.
For now.
#1 by Keely on January 14, 2008 - 12:14 AM
Zoe has also learned to fake cry (and cough, that’s fun) and then she puts her eyebrow up and watches us and then laughs. Sneaky little 7 month old.
Not looking forward to the screaming, at all.
Keely’s last blog post..Sunday’s are my favorite
#2 by Sadie on January 14, 2008 - 12:24 AM
*giggle* Yup…you have to keep him. He’s just too adora-bibble.
Invest in ear plugs. I love mine
Sadie’s last blog post..Weekly Winners
#3 by Kat on January 14, 2008 - 1:25 AM
You are a GENIUS! Removing the vocal chords! Why didn’t I think of that?! My kid could have all the silent tantrums he wanted… they would not bother me one bit!
Kat’s last blog post..Skinny People Are Stupid
#4 by Tiffany on January 14, 2008 - 4:48 AM
OMG that kid is too cute for words…so he’ll just have to keep making those noises forever sans shriek, of course.
Tiffany’s last blog post..Here comes the sun…
#5 by Kelley on January 14, 2008 - 6:22 AM
Seeing my shreiker is asleep and I can’t play the video lest wake the little turd up, I will take your word for it that yours is adorable.
I have got to the point where I don’t even hear it anymore. It is like Tinnitus. Constant shrieking in the ears….
It only gets louder as they get older. And then you start screaming. Just giving you the heads up babe. Cause I am a giver *snigger*
Kelley’s last blog post..The jig is up.
#6 by Gordo on January 14, 2008 - 6:45 AM
I feel your pain, Lotus. Literally. Timeouts are an amazing tool with Cameron as well. He hates them with such a passion that if he’s misbehaving in the car, I can tell him he’s in timeout and he assumes the woe-is-me-timeout-bites behaviour.
Hmm … I wonder if he’s to blame for my tinnutis?
Gordo’s last blog post..W00t!
#7 by clickmom on January 14, 2008 - 7:00 AM
Okay here is tip from the woman whose 3 kids NEVER had tantrums. Yup, never. If you see him even starting to consider a screaming session try telling a favorite fairy tale in a whisper. Just start in with three little bears or goldilocks or something. Smile and be all animated but keep whispering and he’ll stop screaming because he’ll want to hear the story. You can thank me later.
PS Time outs don’t really work and end up frustrating most kids leading to worse behavior. I never used them. They are only effective on those Nanny shows because those families are frighteningly out of sync and kids truly want to be all one with their parents. And they need their parents to establish authority and will accept it any way just to have it. According to me. Also according to me: I know it all.
So take it for whatever it is worth.
clickmom’s last blog post..show me your…
#8 by Rimarama on January 14, 2008 - 7:41 AM
Someone once told me to replace the sound of the screaming with another sound, like the tinkling of a delicate bell, in my mind.
Um, no.
Rimarama’s last blog post..A Handful of Words
#9 by Jodi on January 14, 2008 - 8:02 AM
I’m not going to lie to you. once your children get older and get past some of this stuff you are going to take extreme pleasure watching parents who are still going through it suffer.
it does pass. no really.
Jodi’s last blog post..Sorting it Out
#10 by Josh on January 14, 2008 - 8:27 AM
I love the screaming….
My wife and I disagree about how to deal with it. Basically, she is able to ignore it and it make me want to put the child out on the back step until he has it out of his system (The yard is fenced, It doesn’t get very cold in Tennessee. What could go wrong?).
The whole timeout thing didn’t work for us for a couple of weeks because he would just get more worked up. But then all of the sudden it worked like a charm. I think he actually just sort of grew out of the shrieking, but I like to think it was the stellar parenting skills.
I think the trick to the timeout is to really pretend that you are not at the end of your rope. Son, if you scream like that again you are going to go to timeout. **Scream** Son, now you have to go to timeout becuase you screamed after daddy told you not too…. **more intense scream** then sniffle sniffle… then Ok, you can get up and play. Then some reinforcement…. Wow son, that is some really great banging on pots with a wooden spoon.
Josh’s last blog post..I’ve got a raincoat!
#11 by Ree on January 14, 2008 - 8:35 AM
I love how he’s convinced(!) that if he tries getting that applesauce from the bottom it’s going to work.this.time!
Ree’s last blog post..How To…
#12 by MommyTime on January 14, 2008 - 9:05 AM
I think clickmom is right about the quiet whisper. I remember trying that with some success.
When he gets older, though, he’ll move from being Shrieky McGee to become Deiter the Repeater. As in, “can I have some cookies? cookies…cookies….coooook, cooook, cookies…can I have some cookies, please mama please?” “No.” “COOKIES!…COOK THEM COOK THEM COOKIES! I WANT COOKIES! Can I have some cookies, please mama please?” And so on for 45 hours or so till your head explodes. The soft whisper will be so last-year at that point because he’ll be in his own little world that only contains 8 words that can be endlessly rearranged to torture you and amuse him.
Which is to say: (a) this too shall pass; and (b) hopefully not to soon. At least you can put Shrieky McGee in his crib and go outside for a breather and know he’ll be safe. Deiter the Repeater is old enough that he CANNOT BE CONFINED and therefore CANNOT BE TRUSTED.
But when they’re asleep, they are adorable. And when they’re awake and not 100% adorable, at least it gives us lots to blog about.
MommyTime’s last blog post..Have Ticket, Will Travel
#13 by Don Mills Diva on January 14, 2008 - 9:15 AM
There’s a reason God made ‘em so cute – otherwise they’d never make it past the schreeching phase!
Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..Opportunity wasted
#14 by ~JJ! on January 14, 2008 - 9:25 AM
I hate the screaming…
Fa has ow resorted to going to her room and SLAMMING the door.
She’s 4.
~JJ!’s last blog post..Sometimes stuff is just so cool
#15 by AMomTwoBoys on January 14, 2008 - 9:44 AM
The Shriek is DESIGNED to demand your attention and call you to action! That’s the problem. He’s figured out it works, so IT’S NEVER GOING TO STOP. Okay, that’s not true. It will stop. Soon enough he’ll have discovered some awesome NEW annoying trick and he’ll be obsessed with that and you’ll be going back through your blog looking for the video of his SHRIEKING because, remember how cute that was? Doesn’t seem like it now, but it’s true! They get EVEN MORE ANNOYING THE OLDER THEY GET. AND CUTER, TOO. So, there’s something to look forward to!
AMomTwoBoys’s last blog post..Could you BE any more annoying?
#16 by MP on January 14, 2008 - 9:47 AM
The screaming never stops..at 8 it is no longer a crying scream but just getting to hear his own voice..as adults I think we usually confine our screams to sporting events..especially kids soccer games..
MP’s last blog post..Family 1987
#17 by Junebug on January 14, 2008 - 10:16 AM
To tell you the truth, my kids didn’t shriek. At least I don’t remember shrieking. But the whispering fairy tales sounds like a great idea.
He sure likes his applesauce!
Junebug’s last blog post..Fun Monday
#18 by Marlee on January 14, 2008 - 10:28 AM
My experience is that he’s way too young to “get” time-outs so they probably won’t be very effective, but I’m telling you, I will take the SHRIEKING over the whining and sassiness I’m CURRENTLY ENDURING! In fact, I MISS the shrieking right now!!!! PLEASE! BRING THE SHRIEKING BAAAAAAAACK!!!!
Yeeaaah…so… good luck with that!
Marlee’s last blog post..A Haiku for My Wayward Knickers
#19 by Rhonda on January 14, 2008 - 10:40 AM
Oh my. Dude. Not the icepick. Maybe it’s time for you to meet Mr. Xanax.
Rhonda’s last blog post..Standing Tall
#20 by Beck on January 14, 2008 - 11:46 AM
They CAN be loud. It’s really just a phase. See, next he discovers TALKING.
Beck’s last blog post..I am out of ideas for interesting titles! Also: VOTE FOR ME!
#21 by Lou Lohman on January 14, 2008 - 11:59 AM
My second son made a short detour into the screaming phase. You should have seen the puzzled look on his face when Annie would start laughing every time he shrieked. For a while, he would toddle around the house emitting an occasional shriek just to see what would happen (I think), or, perhaps, testing parental reflexes. But he would shriek and from somewhere else in the house the sound of (obviously fake) laughter would come drifting back. It was funny to see him standing there, listening for the ‘echo’. He would hear it and then go about his business, whatever it was at the moment. It did go away, after a while. I get the feeling it could have become a real problem, but I guess even a toddler doesn’t like being laughed at, in certain circumstances. Of course, now she does the same thing to me. Helps me make sure to never lose my temper. Or shriek.
Lou Lohman’s last blog post..Hello, it’s Monday already …
#22 by Dawn on January 14, 2008 - 12:08 PM
my ears are bleeding just from the naptime protests. sigh.
Dawn’s last blog post..NaNoWriMonday – 1:9
#23 by Eve on January 14, 2008 - 12:27 PM
I was watching Good Morning America today. They had some sort of child rearing expert on pushing his new book. It did sound like he might have some good ideas. Check it out at ABCnews.com. If he doesn’t have anything helpful to say, at least it will probably give you a good laugh.
Eve’s last blog post..Mighty Monday
#24 by Tasina on January 14, 2008 - 12:29 PM
Well if duct tape is out….I don’t know what to say. I have a whiners, not shriekers. Whiners are easier to tune out because they’re relatively quiet. I think that talking quietly thing that someone posted is a really good idea….although put ‘em out on the back step seems reasonable too. Good luck.
It’s all a matter of perspective. Try explaining to a 16 year old brand new driver why he cannot cruise around with his friends IN A FREAKIN’ SNOW STORM.
Tasina’s last blog post..Weekly Winners 01.13.08
#25 by Punk Rock Mom on January 14, 2008 - 12:58 PM
The Phi never went through a shrieking phase, but it can’t be as bad as the whining phase she is in now.
Punk Rock Mom’s last blog post..The new bed is not magic…
#26 by Avery on January 14, 2008 - 1:21 PM
Oh, it’s not the vocal chords that are the problem. It’s the lungs. And if you’re lucky enough to have a child who’s blessed with a good set, you’ll likely spend many a night drinking yourself into oblivion. Let’s just hold out hope that our boys are the next Josh Grobans, huh?
Avery’s last blog post..Hey, Choconuts, I’ve Got a Plan For You Right Here
#27 by Bill on January 14, 2008 - 1:22 PM
Adam sounds like an Emergency Air Raid Siren when he gets going. We either duck and hide under our desks or climb into the bomb shelter until he gets it out of his system. He used to do this much more when he was still breastfeeding and he woke up hungry. We called it The Boob and Nipple Crisis.
Bill’s last blog post..Paul is Dead: Understanding the Words That Are Coming Out of Your Child’s Mouth
#28 by Robyn on January 14, 2008 - 1:43 PM
LOL!!! Your posts kill me….
My one year old son also has a SHRIEK….and unfortunatly…my hubby who isn’t here all day to hear him…(bless his soul….) thinks it is hilarious..and will stand on one side of the bathroom door and shriek at him, while my son…loving the encouragement stands at the other side shrieking back….
Sigh…….
#29 by Queen of Shake Shake on January 14, 2008 - 2:05 PM
Oh, the noise!
I remember the days when it was nice to hear…NOTHING!
What do I mean remember? Crap, they never end! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but they don’t. Payton asks questions all day long, drop him off at school, then Parker wants to shoot the shit with me the whole way to his school. It is so nice to get in the car those three mornings a week and have no one talking to me.
Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..Your Exclusive Look Inside the Mind of an Evil Genius
#30 by Mackenzies Momma on January 14, 2008 - 2:37 PM
You’re complaining about the noise? oh woe is you wait until you get to the silence phase! Today I was on the phone conducting an ADULT conversation that involved REAL! sentences(it was very exciting!) when I suddenly realized that the house was S I L E N T but the toddler was NOT napping. I started looking for her and found her in the bathroom drinking out of the toilet(thankfully it was A) clean and B) she used a cup). I mean how horrid is that?! *shudders thinking about it*
Mackenzies Momma’s last blog post..Sunday Shelter Stories
#31 by A Jill of All Trades on January 14, 2008 - 3:24 PM
Or you could always revert back to duct tape….but then you’d have an annoying new sound that sounds like he’s screaming underwater or with his face pressed against glass.
I’m still reluctant to let Aidan be alone with a full bowl of food. I’m thinking of investing in some really cute dog bowls and just letting him eat like an animal for the rest of hs life, or until he learns to eat without getting food from here to eternity.
A Jill of All Trades’s last blog post..Walla walla bing bang!
#32 by regina on January 14, 2008 - 3:24 PM
Huumm, removing those vocal cords sounds like a good idea, especially since my granddaughter has taken to this extremely high pitched screech! it’s like nails on a chalkboard times a hundred. so, yea let me know if that vocal cord removal works for you…
regina’s last blog post..Happy Monday! “Blog Of The Week”
#33 by missy wiggins on January 14, 2008 - 4:15 PM
my daughter mazzy tries to confuse us in her moments of terrible tantrums by repeatedly crying LOUDLY that she has to blow her nose…
ah, 3 is worse than 2 by far! good luck and keep hanging on to the pleasant moments
#34 by Veronica on January 14, 2008 - 4:19 PM
Dude, since I bragged to you that Amy had stopped squealing, murphy came and kicked me in the teeth, because she promptly started again. Icepicks *shudder* I can send you some earplugs if you like.
Also? I had to watch the video 3 times to keep Amy happy and then she tried to kiss the laptop.
Veronica’s last blog post..Am I Allowed To Talk About This?
#35 by Anglophile Football Fanatic on January 14, 2008 - 4:20 PM
Sign language started slowly for us. Mine ended up with 39 signs before he became so vocal I have to shut him up.
I am sorry for the shriek!
Anglophile Football Fanatic’s last blog post..Whines of the Heart
#36 by Amanda on January 14, 2008 - 4:36 PM
Poor, poor mama. I know it’s impossible to ignore their bloodcurdling screams. Neilen has raised the back hairs on my neck more times than I can count.
But yes, you’ll be glad you let Braden keep his vocal chords the first time he tells you “I love you.”
#37 by Jill on January 14, 2008 - 4:45 PM
aah, the fake cry and the shriek. we know them all to well over here. In fact, Hannah is at it right now. Ignoring doesn’t seem to work. Maybe one of those bark collars. Oh of course I am kidding (unless you think they would work)
Jill’s last blog post..Music Monday- Kiki Sheard
#38 by julie on January 14, 2008 - 5:09 PM
We have always had a loud house.
Zeke — could tantrum for England. Good lord that child could shriek.
Thor — very short tantrums, we hardly noticed them. Then he learned to talk. And never stopped.
Tess — very loud and happy baby and toddler. Very loud and sometimes moody pre-teen. She still to this day will shriek for no apparent reason.
My husband and I have found that we have developed a huge tolerance for noise and commotion. Our children all love to share their interests, which means at one point I could tell you the name of every Batman action figure and which accessories went with each one. I knew all the Pokemon original characters. Now I know more about XBox games than a 45 year old should ever be forced to know…
Somedays I miss the baby babbles…at least then they didn’t expect a coherent answer…
(The video of Braden is adorable!)
julie’s last blog post..weekly winners.
#39 by janet on January 14, 2008 - 7:03 PM
i hear you on the shrieking… well, maybe i don’t … because all the shrieking that went on in my house from all those kids has made me sorta deaf’ish.
then they grow up and talk your freakin’ ear off.
there’s no winning here…….
janet’s last blog post..Fun Monday #48: the helpful internet edition
#40 by LifeAsIKnowIt on January 14, 2008 - 7:41 PM
OH, this post brought back so many memories.
I wanted so badly to record the shrieking, crying, whining and force my husband to listen to it all day while he was at work.
You know, just so he could see what it was like…
LifeAsIKnowIt’s last blog post..Crustacean Goodness
#41 by Mrs. Flinger on January 14, 2008 - 8:30 PM
haaa! That’s Baby O right there, too. Ohdeargod, the screaammiinnnggggg…
Mrs. Flinger’s last blog post..Just like technology… if your baby pooped on your ipod
#42 by peppylady on January 14, 2008 - 9:21 PM
What a little doll
peppylady’s last blog post..Sometime Not So Famous People Can Touch are Little Light
#43 by Kara - down to earth mommy on January 14, 2008 - 9:46 PM
MommyTime is telling the truth. The endless repetition lasts much longer than a shriek. Little J is refusing to eat most of his dinner each night and will instead ask for other foods until bedtime. When told no he will follow up with the shriek and hysterical cry mentioned earlier.
Kara – down to earth mommy’s last blog post..A Brand New Day
#44 by cookiebitch on January 14, 2008 - 10:37 PM
My sympathies. The icepick in your temple said it all.
cookiebitch’s last blog post..VIOLENCE ON AISLE 3
#45 by 'cuz I'm the mommy, that's why on January 14, 2008 - 10:47 PM
I find that when Poose starts the Shriek, he seems to get going and doesn’t realize that he’s still doing it (I know, how could he not realize that incredibly loud, paint-peeling sound is coming from his body?) Try this once (it’s gonna make you feel really good!) Yell Aauugghh!! at the top of your lungs right along with him. Poose just stops and looks at me like, “Jeez who hid the tranquilizers?” End of Shriek!
‘cuz I’m the mommy, that’s why’s last blog post..Bad Mommy Blogger!
#46 by Willena on January 14, 2008 - 11:24 PM
It isn’t always a discipline problem.
I have 7 children, ages 8 to 25. Nathaniel is my youngest, born when I was 46. Some of my older ones were screamers at times, but Nathaniel was very definitely one from the day he was born. He was not colicky, and there was no pattern that we could see. I tried everything. Nothing worked. No matter what, he would have several screaming spells PER DAY, from the night he was born till he was nearly 4.
That’s when we discovered he had a number of subtle food allergies… so called because the reactions were not immediate, and were general… hence difficult to pinpoint. But when we found out, and put him on glyconutrients, voila! NO more temper tantrums. For the next several years, any months we could not afford to buy the glyconutrients, within a couple of days he was back to daily tantrums. And as soon as he was back on them he calmed right down. He still takes the glycos much of the time, because we can’t afford to eliminate such items as bread, cheese, milk and eggs from our diet.
Today Nathaniel is a bright, happy and fairly easy-going 8-year-old who seldom has a tantrum… even though this past year has been one of turmoil for our family.
All that is simply to say sometimes it isn’t a discipline problem. He could be grappling with hidden health or coping issues… or it could be one of those passing things.
#47 by janet on January 14, 2008 - 11:35 PM
stopped back by to tell you that i have something for you at my house
janet’s last blog post..I’d like to thank the academy
#48 by river on January 15, 2008 - 3:12 AM
None of mine were screamers, but my grandson recently confided to me that when he has a fight with his mum (my daughter), he goes and screams into his pillow. He’s eleven.
#49 by KimlovesKolby on January 15, 2008 - 1:48 PM
This is too funny! Kolby loves to scream, as I think he gets it from Mommy
It is so ironic that I try time-out too, and get the screaming even more. “No” means “Yes” and God forbid you try to change a diaper or pick him up any longer. It is SCREAM and RUN, Fall on Floor and FLAIL arms wildly. LOL!
#50 by Mrs. F on January 15, 2008 - 6:17 PM
He is so cute. I do that when I get to the bottom of the ice cream carton
Mrs. F’s last blog post..Lucky Day!