All parents are not created equal when it comes to our crying capacity—whether it is the woeful wails of a new baby, or the screams of a frustrated toddler, or even the moody crying of an adolescent—some of us can tolerate it far better than others. How much crying can you handle? And has your ability to tolerate crying from your child actually increased or decreased over the years?
I can handle a fair amount of crying from my children—although it has diminished quite a bit now that they are older. What I have noticed, however, is that my ability to tolerate crying from friends and adults has diminished after years of parenting. I am not particularly proud of it either! For some reason, my compassion for a screaming and crying infant far exceeds my compassion for a sobbing forty-five-year-old. I am hoping that I will be able to expand my compassion more in this area, but I am not sure if it is due to years of parenting or my just getting older and less indulgent. I do not think that grown-ups have to always be happy, I just can only handle so much of the middle-age sobbing (in myself as well.)
I have talked with parents who say that they feel responsive and sensitive to their own child’s crying, but that other crying children drive them crazy. I have definitely seen the aggravated people in shopping malls and on buses with no tolerance for the crying or sobbing child—those kids don’t seem to bother me. Even when I have had a really rough day or am on a crowded flight, I don’t find the crying child to be too much of a bother.
How about you—do you respond differently to your child’s crying and other children? Do you have a minimum of patience for crying or have you found your capacity increased after becoming a parent? How much crying can YOU handle?
Also: What I Love About a Home Business–Not Having to Deal With Crabby and Moody Co-workers
Tantrums! Screams! And Crying! Oh My!
Understanding Excessive Crying