Young children are highly aggressive; indeed, if you measure the rate of physical violence through the life span, it peaks at about the age of two. Families survive the Terrible Twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill them with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons. A two-year-old with the physical capacities of an adult would be terrifying.Some parents aren't so lucky as to have a two-year-old who is incapable of using a lethal weapon. But freak accidents aside, this sentiment is worth reflecting on. Young children are, after all, merely doing whatever it occurs to them to do. Their brains have simply yet to develop the inhibitory capacities that characterize human adulthood. Unfortunately for new parents, the types of behaviour that occurs to toddlers isn't always pretty or nice. The good news is that they're too tiny to do any real damage, except for maybe the odd bite or two.
Admonishing a young child for lacking in impulse control is misguided. It's not that's toddlers haven't learned right from wrong yet, that will come with time. The problem is with self-regulation. The mental machinery to resist "bad" behaviour isn't there yet. Parents should keep this in mind when dealing with youngsters. We should be no more upset with a child for failing to resist an impulse to hit or bite than with a toddler who cannot do calculus.
Parents: Be patient. Understand that part of normal brain development involves a greater ability to regulate behaviour and to consider the consequences of actions. Allow time for kids to grow into their brains. Remind yourself that humans are "born of risen apes, not fallen angels." Be mindful that we are evolved creatures and much enlightenment will follow.
Also, get your kids vaccinated you goofballs.
