Perhaps you find all this dramatic behaviour flattering but it looks more to me like a power
play on the part of your clever little two year old granddaughter. Good for her! She's learned
at a very early age how to control her environment. And apparently her parents are reacting
satisfactorily to her power play.
Now that she knows how to get everyone's attention in this way, I hope you'll be able to teach
her some other ways of achieving the same results. Make the same fuss over her when she
sings a song, speaks a new word, learns to stand on one foot, or scrapes her plate clean at
mealtime. Let her know that there are many ways of getting everyone's attention so it won't
be so important for her to scream and carry on get the same result.
As for her carrying on when you have to leave, you might relieve that trauma by telling her
you have a secret you want to tell her but it has to be on the phone. So - of course you have
to hurry home to phone her. I know that seems transparent to us, but your tiny little
granddaughter might fall for it.
Her parents could also help the situation by having something really interesting for her to
do every time you leave. It should be something that she looks forward to so your leaving
won't be the big moment, but the activity that follows it. Whatever she loves to do - such
as colouring with crayons, or "swimming" with her toys in the bathtub, or maybe playing
on the piano. If you could time your visits to come just before some enticing event, then
your leaving shouldn't become such a tragedy.
But, if it all fails, and she still carries on in this way when you are leaving, you'd best try
not to notice. Say good-bye, tell her you had a great time, don't hug and kiss her to death,
just say good-bye and leave, and always tell her you'll be back soon. Then if she wants
to scream - well - that's her way of saying good-bye. She'll get over it, I promise.
Yours sincerely,
GG
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