Pregnancy, Parenting and Beyond

My child yells, "I hate you!" when she's upset with me — or sometimes just when she's upset around me. How should I respond? Becky Bailey developmental psychologist and early childhood education specialist At this age, a child isn't wishy-washy about her feelings. She feels one emotion at a time, and it's all-encompassing. It's why she's happy with a passion or angry with a vengeance. So when things are good, they're very good, and your preschooler adores you. But when things don't go her way, she feels that life is bad, that you're bad — and that she hates you. Though you may be tempted to, avoid responding to your child's "I hate you!" with "Well, I love you. " This will only shame her. And saying, "You know you love Mommy," or "There's no reason to get so upset!" belittles her very real feelings. Remember that your child is still learning to manage her emotions. She ne