The schizophrenic child
My own theory, and I probably read it somewhere, is that children have a difficult time controlling and managing their emotions. They don't have the "regulators" that we, as adults have.
In short, children are people with emotions on to full-blast. No volume control, no pause buttons. They want something, and they want it now. If they get it, they're happy - if not they cry. There is no black and white - no pretending - no double-guessing. Only when they grow older do they begin to pick-up the skill-sets they need to manipulate their way through life without screaming and shouting at anything that doesn't go their way. That's when the silent back-stabbing and gossiping takes over, political agendas and so on.
Which is better?
Nigel is at the cross-roads. He's learning to control his emotions - but his child-side still kicks in occasionally and takes over his entire being. It's quite easy to see. I think for him, it's an inner struggle and as a child, he doesn't quite understand himself nor the expectations of the world.
After an episode, he can quite calmly say "I was naughty" as if he was talking about a different person. And when asked why, he would brush it off saying "I don't know".
That's my theory - children growing up are schizophrenics and are learning to control their emotions. There are good days, and there are bad days.
In short, children are people with emotions on to full-blast. No volume control, no pause buttons. They want something, and they want it now. If they get it, they're happy - if not they cry. There is no black and white - no pretending - no double-guessing. Only when they grow older do they begin to pick-up the skill-sets they need to manipulate their way through life without screaming and shouting at anything that doesn't go their way. That's when the silent back-stabbing and gossiping takes over, political agendas and so on.
Which is better?
Nigel is at the cross-roads. He's learning to control his emotions - but his child-side still kicks in occasionally and takes over his entire being. It's quite easy to see. I think for him, it's an inner struggle and as a child, he doesn't quite understand himself nor the expectations of the world.
After an episode, he can quite calmly say "I was naughty" as if he was talking about a different person. And when asked why, he would brush it off saying "I don't know".
That's my theory - children growing up are schizophrenics and are learning to control their emotions. There are good days, and there are bad days.