Chair-Thrower is one of the words I’ve used to describe the child I’m sharing my life with.  It provides a pretty good visual, I think.  It isn’t meant to be derogatory.   It isn’t meant to be negative.  It is meant to be a conjure up a picture in your head of a young child throwing a chair — for what is possibly a pretty good reason. 

Chair throwing isn’t a desirable activity. I don’t think anyone sets out to become a chair thrower. I don’t think any child wakes up and says, “I’m going to throw a chair at school today”.

But it happens.  On some days, chairs are thrown. 

If you tell someone you have a child with trauma, or an attachment disorder, or, or, or… if they aren’t living in this world they don’t really know what this life looks like.  If you say “chair thrower” they seem to automatically know what you mean. 

While Chair-Throwers are generally pretty challenging, they are also extremely honest. Their behavior is brutally raw. Whatever is inside, comes outside. They can’t control it. They don’t have the life experience, skills or neurological wiring to be anything else than what they are in any given moment.

And they can be amazing teachers.