Children can do the strangest things sometimes, and parents don’t always know what motivates some children to do the things they do. I don’t think there are many parents who can say their child has always been perfectly well behaved, followed all the rules or doesn’t have some kind of “streak” in them.
Most parents of the average 2-year-old have experienced the “biting” stage or issue at least once. Either someone else’s child bits our child or our child has bitten another child. Either way it is pretty common for 2-year olds to bite or be bitten by someone. When would a parent become alarmed that their child simply didn’t understand how unsafe biting is?
Families with pets know there are those times when the cat is held upside down, bent the wrong way or locked in the closet. Poor cats, but usually they survive and learn to run faster at the sound of the pitter-patter of the kid’s feet. When does a parent wonder if the harm being done to the family pet has crossed some kind of scary line?
A lot of children pick their nose or scabs. Some bite their nails. Some children pick a lot and sometimes parents need to intervene, put a band aid on an old skinned knee their child was picking at after bedtime. Children usually learn that picking their nose, old scabs and biting their nails have some limits. The typical child will learn to stop before crossing the line and hurting themselves too much. When does a parent worry that their child causes too many bloody noses, scars on their arms or legs and cannot function normally due to chewed nails?
The common definition in the dictionary Says Safe means:
Safe: adjective
- 1 : free from harm or risk : unhurt
- 2 a : secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss b : successful at getting to a base in baseball without being put out.
- 3 : affording safety or security from danger, risk, or difficulty
- 4 obsolete, of mental or moral faculties :
- 5 a : not threatening danger : b : unlikely to produce controversy or contradiction
- 6 a : not likely to take risks.
No parent wants to overreact to ordinary childhood issues. But, many parents fail to react when unsafe behaviors occur routinely. A child who bites to draw blood and bites anyone leaving marks on several people is unsafe. A child who intentionally hurts an animal for any reason, or who hurts an animal in a strange way they should know better is unsafe. A child who picks to a point their nose bleeds nightly, or they are scared from repeated scab removal, or who cannot hold a pencil due to bitten finger nails is unsafe.
There is a fine line between normal behavior with the occasional injury to self or others and unsafe behaviors which appear to cross the line. Getting help for a child while they are still young and unsafe behaviors don’t grow into serious life threatening risks for the whole family is vital. Typically, parents sense when their child displays behaviors indicating safety is a concern long before teachers, doctors or other outsiders notice anything to be worried about. If a parent feels something is unsafe about their child’s behaviors no harm is done seeking help sooner rather then later.
For more specific information dealing with an unsafe child please visit theMental Health Blogs or Special Needs Blogs where steps to take when a parent knows their child is unsafe with themselves or others will be published soon. If you are currently facing a life threatening situation with your child please call 911 or visit the doctor today.