WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Study: Problematic behavior becomes evident in infancy
July 21st, 2008 @ 6:58am
By Paul Nelson

How can parents tell if they have a problem child on their hands? A new study say problematic behavior can be spotted during infancy.

All right parents, when did you first feel you could see your baby's personality? One Salt Lake County mom says she could see her child's temperament almost right away.
She said, "She always had a great heart and a great spirit, and she was always so generous and sweet with everyone, and that's how she is now."

But is there such a thing as a baby who is downright nasty? Another Salt Lake County mother said, "I don't think I would call any baby a jerk, all babies are beautiful, right? But, yeah, some babies really have a lot more colic or they're just really hard to comfort."

For the parents of difficult babies, there is a bit of bad news. A new study from the University of Chicago says a baby's temperament is a strong predictor of behavior problems later. Fussy children, or babies with unpredictable behavior, were more prone to problems like bullying and cheating at school.

University of Utah Medical Center Pediatrics Chief Chuck Norlin said, "Certainly over the first few months, some (behavior) styles usually become somewhat apparent."
The other predictor is parental interaction, and the amount of intellectual stimulation parents gave their children. Norlin says parental styles need to match up with the personality of the child.

"For example, parents who like to have a very rigid schedule, if they have a kid who likes to have a very rigid schedule, that works really well."
Norlin says bad baby behavior isn't always caused by a mean temperament. He says there are things that could produce behaviors that are hard to distinguish from temperament.

"Some kids will have something called Gastro Esophageal Reflux where they get what we would otherwise call heartburn, which then could cause them to have pain," he said.
But Norlin says cases like that are rare. He says there are things parents can do to calm a kid with a bad temperament down.

"Define things that help them be more comfortable and support them in figuring out how to satisfy their own needs," he said.

But this is harder to do in the child's younger years.

Just a few Randoms

So we finally got Will's Birthday Present Hung up for the 4th . There was a short delay because of Will's cute little obsession with things being tight and secure. We had to buy longer screws so that flag wouldn't come loose. :) The vegtables are the first of the year....small but good.


Ila was just so darn cute eating the apple that Jonas didn't finish. Let's not mention that it was his third one and he only eats one side before he dumps it in the trash.

The flowers were a success! I transplanted them from my Mom's yard on a hot day and some how they made it. They're called Lemon Gem Marigolds...has anyone ever seen these in a nursery...I looked everywhere!


These nice people were offering rides!

Good Job Will...Good Job Will

The Final of the Closet! We finished this in April, but I never took a pic. of the final product.

A GREAT date!

Okay, so Will and I finally picked up a hobby that we both like. Fishing. He bought me a new pole, we got a babysitter, and took off up American Fork Canyon one night. It was the most fun I have had with him in a long time. I think I was giggling the whole time because we weren't catching anything and we kept trading poles and trying all kinds of stuff. And to make it even better, we witnessed a moose swimming across the whole lake. I was a little nervous because she kept getting closer and closer, but she ended up chasing some other people away instead.

Fun With Paint

At first they were going really slow and really careful.....but, they couldn't resist!

The things that are so fun about one!

A Post for June

During the last week in May, our sod was finally delivered. I have to say thanks to all the help (My sister Chrissy and her Husband Leonard, Cora and Jonas, My neighbor Steve and of course the Davis Family behind us!) I could not have done it without them. I cannot say how nice it is to have grass. I am so relived and so happy that my first garden seems to be flourishing. We have really worked hard. And I must say, thanks to the weeds for the nice tan.