The Renfield Syndrome by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 3

Finally, mother and baby were discharged from the hospital. At home Claire would spend a few weeks bonding with Caspian. She had started a course of antibiotics but stopped due to the uncomfortable nature of the side effects. Soon, she was back to a place most would choose to avoid. She knew she was not cut out for motherhood, and looking into Caspian’s face, she saw one of her attackers and was quick to strike back. Although Claire was able to physically separate her infant son from those who brutalized her, the response she acted out was similar— short of sexually mutilating him. Although she certainly felt driven to commit this act, she would refrain from doing so to her child. This, she considered a step in the right direction. But her rage continued and manifested itself in her reaction to her child’s crying. Under ordinary circumstances, any parent feels frustration at the endlessness of an infant’s crying. And when it escalates into screaming, the frustration can also build into anger. If the parent doesn’t step away, they can occasionally snap. Babies do not understand language, much less being screamed at, and it often makes things worse. The phrase ‘Stop crying, or I’ll give you something to cry about’ doesn’t really work, as the child fails to perceive a way of comforting itself with a continued threat looming nearby. Then there is the famous phrase ‘Because I said so.’ This statement robs children of the opportunity to reality check, opening the door for illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression. If Claire was unable to lead a stable life, Caspian would be the one to pay for it, and so far it seemed as though he was in for a difficult life.