Parents, grandparents and childcarers expect jealous feelings in a young child when a second baby arrives. From being the centre of attention, the first child is suddenly thrust out and jealousy is seen as only natural. However, I take exception to the word 'jealous'. The word implies bad feelings and that the person experiencing these feelings ought to know better. But none of this applies to a two-year-old child faced with a new baby. He is not bad and his feelings are entirely normal for this child is not of an age to know better or to practise self-control.
Parents, grandparents and childcarers expect jealous feelings in a young child when a second baby arrives. From being the centre of attention, the first child is suddenly thrust out and jealousy is seen as only natural.
However, I take exception to the word 'jealous'. The word implies bad feelings and that the person experiencing these feelings ought to know better. But none of this applies to a two-year-old child faced with a new baby. He is not bad and his feelings are entirely normal for this child is not of an age to know better or to practise self-control.
I think a new word should be invented to describe how the child feels and that does not bear the stigma that being called jealous does.
Surely it is undeserved to call a young child jealous who is faced with a sudden crisis in their life?
Let us leave 'jealous' out of our vocabulary when it comes to young children and find a kinder word.
Judy Carr, Tel Aviv, Israel
