Temper tantrums don’t you just love them?
They consist of crying, whinging, screaming, lashing out, kicking, holding their breath till they turn blue to rolling around like a crazed animal on the floor.
Temper tantrums can start at the age of 1 and last until 3 years, both boys and girls are given this great characteristic.
With a 1, 2 and 3 year old in my house, we sure get to meet Mr Temper Tantrum quite frequently.
Gold old Mr Temper Tantrum can strike at any given time, maybe a sibling took a toy away or you refused chocolate buttons in the supermarket, whatever the reason you are going to pay big time.
We as mothers throw our own adult tantrums every now and then, you know when you have missed Eastenders because the baby refused to sleep and you spent the whole of that hour tryng out this thing called controlled crying that is just not working. Your frustrated and annoyed so you swear under your breath, maybe slam down the magazine next to you or shut the door with a force as you sulk off to put the kettle on.
Tantrums are a way to express frustration and anger, young children do not have the capabilities to control how they are feeling so instead they erupt into a mass volcano.
Trying to avoid a full blown tantrum at all costs, they are not a pretty site and always happen when your in public, just to make you feel even worse. Is your child bored? Hungry? Tired? Tantrums are more prone to happen at these periods.
If your child is not allowed an item then don’t let them see it in the first place, become Inspector Gadget and hide everything. Keep the TV remote in a safe, the newspaper in the fridge and the phone charger under the bed. The items a child wants are always items they are not allowed. Children do not like not being allowed something and will throw a tantrum to make you pay for being mean.
When you see your child is about to blow, jump up quickly singing a song and start clapping your hands, OK you might get a few strange looks if your out in public, but who cares, even your child will now be looking at you like your crazy, but you have distracted them enough to prevent a tantrum - but hey you win.
What I have learned that as long as they are safe and are in no danger of hurting themselves or others, leave them to it. Do not talk to them, do not even look at them. This seems to fuel the fire even more. Just carry on doing what you are doing.
The bigger kids will still throw a tantrum at times, this is behaviour that has been learned. If they throw a wobbler then they have more chance of getting their own way. So remain consistent and try to stay firm. Giving in is not going to teach your child how to behave correctly and your just setting yourself up for a lifetime of tantrums.
After they have calmed down, give them a hug by all means but do not reward them for stopping a tantrum, we don’t want them to happen in the first place.
I would love to hear your own views on Temper Tantrums and how do you deal with them?
