Taming a Temper Tantrum
It’s something every parent hopes to avoid but virtually every parent ends dealing with: The dreaded tantrum. How do you stop it and better yet avoid it in the first place?
FOX’s Lisa Brady reports in this week’s “FOX on Family”:
Just about every kid has a tantrum sometime.
(Scott) “It is a completely normal part of child development, but it’s loaded for us as parents for a number of reasons.”
Author Paula Spencer Scott, content chief for parenting website Kinstantly, says we tend to blame ourselves when our kids get upset and tantrums often happen with an audience:
(Scott) “That’s when we feel at our most vulnerable and judged.”
But child development experts say the most effective thing to do is wait it out, which might mean walking out of the grocery store or the restaurant to let it blow over:
(Scott) “We all go bonkers inside when we’re upset; our brains flood with hormones, we get revved up, our pulses are racing. And then, eventually, we calm down.”
She say kids need to learn how to handle their emotions, instead of just learning they can push your buttons. Distraction can help prevent a tantrum:
(Scott) “To sort of make them forget that they’re being resistant and they’re upset.”
And prepare your kids for what’s next: two more times down the slide and it’s time to leave the park.
With FOX on Family, I’m Lisa Brady.
