A: Thanks for writing in; you might be definitely not alone in parenting a perfectionist baby. To start, perfectionism just isn’t genetic, however anxiousness is, and a few of what you might be saying makes me surprise if that’s what you’re largely coping with right here.
I don’t know whether or not you and your husband have formal diagnoses, however I’m interested by what you say are “sturdy opinions and wish issues the best way we wish them.” It isn’t unusual for anxious adults to have kids with some anxiousness, so it’s value checking in with yourselves. As on your son, please discuss to his pediatrician for those who really feel like his perfectionism (which might be the results of anxiousness) is taking on his entire life. There’s a lot written about anxiousness and perfectionism in childhood, so you might need to do some analysis on this to gauge his anxiousness degree.
Then it’s best to take into consideration what he’s experiencing at house. Are you modeling your “sturdy opinions” (i.e. inflexibility) to your son? If each of his mother and father are slender about their views and explicit about their wants, wouldn’t it stand to motive that your son would choose up on that and tackle these traits? We see this most continuously when mother and father are sarcastic and imply round their youngsters and their kids imitate that language. Youngsters choose up all types of values from you.
So my first bit of recommendation is to test your individual language and conduct in entrance of your son. Begin being open, versatile, nuanced, and cozy with shedding and studying, particularly if you’re with him.
I’m additionally going to provide you some particularly onerous recommendation proper now: Detach your self from outcomes relating to your son. Profitable, shedding, it doesn’t matter. Select video games that concentrate on pure play during which there’s no actual outcome. This could really feel sacrilegious in our tradition, however by specializing in play or doing one thing for the pure pleasure of it, you faucet again into the magic of childhood. You additionally launch the stress of profitable, studying and even being “good” at one thing. It’s pure for people to get pleasure from work and accomplishment, however when perfectionism and concern of failure loom too massive, it’s straightforward for kids to get caught. And that appears like the place your son is now.
As for the frustration your son is experiencing, I strongly advocate studying “The Present of Failure” by Jessica Lahey. Lahey has completed the analysis for you, and the ebook creates a powerful argument for why attempting to forestall failure retains kids from studying resilience and having a development mind-set. (Primarily, for those who assume it’s dangerous now, wait till he will get older!)
I’m not suggesting that it’s straightforward to look at our youngsters undergo once they lose or really feel scared, however once we interrupt that course of, we cease our youngsters’s massive feelings from shifting by, and so they want that to learn to dwell on this world.
Keep in mind, no emotion lasts ceaselessly. Your son might say he’s terrible and can’t be taught, he might yell and stomp his toes, however for those who keep quiet and close by, these feelings will quickly run their course. Visualize it like a circle: The frustration of feeling susceptible or afraid or completely different begins and builds. It reaches the highest of the circle as a tantrum, explosion or unkind language after which, for those who don’t intrude, the feelings will start to fall and dissipate.
Your son may have extra help, resembling remedy with somebody who makes a speciality of anxiousness, so maintain your pediatrician within the loop. I might additionally counsel a very good dad or mum coach who makes a speciality of serving to mother and father with anxious kids, however be able to additionally develop and alter. You’ll be able to say all the fitting issues to your son, however in case you are trapped in an anxiousness loop along with your baby, it’s onerous for anybody to develop and enhance. Get Lahey’s ebook and a few good help. Good luck!
