Temper tantrums and the so-called “terrible twos” are always a tricky time for parents, but this is a phase that all young children go through – and a phase that leaves parents frustrated and tired.
To help you manage this difficult time, we have put together some advice to help you better understand tantrums, and manage them more effectively.
Why do Tantrums Happen?
Tantrums tend to occur because children have little practice controlling, understanding, and recognising their emotions – and this lack of experience can cause a temper outburst.
In addition to this, children of this age are often in the early stages of learning to speak and communicate, but they are still struggling to express what they desire, feel, or need. They may try to communicate with parents, only to be met with confusion. They are also likely to encounter emotions they cannot understand.
How do they deal with their dissatisfaction? They throw a fit. In a nutshell: they express their frustration or anger as tantrums.
How can you deal with them? Here are five tips to assist parents in dealing with temper tantrums:
1. Keep your cool
When dealing with tantrums, the first thing parents should do is keep their composure. Losing your temper because your youngster has lost theirs will not help problems. It only aggravates matters.
Ignore the shouting, kicking, and stomping as much as possible and pretend as if nothing is wrong. It can help you regain control of the situation and determine the source of the problem and how to address it.
2. Be understanding
Children, as brilliant as they are, are not little grown-ups. When your child gets upset, he overreacts because he lacks experience in handling emotions.
Consider the situation from their point of view and apply that insight to help them calm down.
3. Be patient
Tantrum-throwing in your child will not go away overnight. If you understand this, you accept that you have to live with them for a time before you can regulate them. Do not give up before you succeed.
Always remember that you will lose control if you lose patience.
4. Stand your ground
It will seem easier to give in when your child is wailing and flailing. Yet, giving in once because of a tantrum thrown only tells your child to throw another tantrum the next time. After all, you might give in again.
To avoid this, be sure your child knows their limit by denying their demands when they throw tantrums.
5. Be proactive rather than reactive
You can stop a tantrum before it starts. When children are hungry or tired, they are prone to throwing tantrums.
Know your child’s needs and what triggers their tantrums. You can then deal with any discomforts they have and prevent a meltdown from occurring.
It is possible to handle your child’s tantrums and raise well-behaved children – but you will need to follow the above steps with consistency. If you do so, you may find that the terrible twos are more manageable.