Baby Hands To The Face!

I’d like to share with you a move I like to call the ‘get that out of my face’ or ‘wax-on wax-off’ type of blocking that Alejandra has been doing to let us know when she’s done eating / drinking / or has decided that she doesn’t want us to wipe her nose.I heard from a friend that this is a ‘day care’ learned behavior. I’m not sure she’s totally correct. It reminded of this little film I watched before I became a dad and which I now I think I should revisit just to see how much more I’ll enjoy it:

This behavior showed up a few months ago, and although it’s a seldom act, it nonetheless surprises us and leaves us somewhat in shock when it happens. Alejandra is normally a calm and relaxed kid. Her disposition is mellow and pretty ‘go with the flow’; however, when she sets her mind to something she can be very animated and passionate about what she wants. Interestingly enough, her slapping the hands to the face is much more common towards her mom than me. I’m not sure why that is, yet if I were to guess, it may be because of the difference in how we react when she does it. I tend to be more firm with Alejandra, whereas my wife is more understanding.

For example, I will stop Alejandra’s hand, look her in the eyes and firmly say: ‘No hitting. Please say ‘no thank you’. My wife on the other hand, uses phrases like: ‘I understand you’re frustrated, please don’t hit Mommy, it hurts me’. I chalk it up to parenting styles and it makes for very interesting moments when Alejandra is tired or cranky and she protests to her mom in my presence. That’s when as a parent, you want to have each other’s back but have to remember to give each parent their own space to teach.

A little research online yielded a comforting fact; this behavior is perfectly normal in toddlers and it is a manifestation of frustration or overtiredness and an opportunity for us parents to teach our kids social norms. Awesome, another opportunity to teach; I love it.


     - Alejandra's Dad