Toddler Screams Out of Boredom
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Dear Dr. Laura,
I need suggestions. My husband and I are trying to follow gentle parenting with our VERY strong willed two year old. One situation we are having trouble figuring out is how to curb his screaming. Mostly in restaurants. Just random high pitched screams. He'll do it in the car and also at dinner at home. We can't remove him from the restaurant because he looks at that as a reward. It happens out of boredom while waiting. We bring plenty of entertainment, but he'll sometimes exhaust those options and just decide he's done. There are no options to give at this point and I can tell him I won't let him scream until I'm blue in the face, but that doesn't stop him. Any ideas?
I hear how frustrating this is. I think you're finding out that we really can't ever control another human being. All we can do is help them WANT to cooperate. Your son sees no reason to sit in a restaurant being bored. He's two, and he wants to move. He may also be overstimulated, but since he does it at dinner at home also, he is probably bored. So he expresses his discontent in the only way he can, to get a response from you.
Connecting with you should help extend the viability of the situation. Meaning, you say that you bring plenty of entertainment. If that entertainment includes interacting with you, it will be much more effective than expecting him to entertain himself while you eat and chat.
And if you do 15 minutes of roughhousing with plenty of laughter before he is expected to sit in the restaurant or the car, he will
be able to handle the situation for longer. But really, many two year olds simply can't sit for long. He is letting you know that in the best way he can!
