As seen on Cityline.
Tantrums are inevitable. From ages 1-4 when kids are still trying to figure out how to express themselves. They literally do not have the words or emotional awareness to tell you how they feel. The worst part, however, is when these tantrums happen in public.
Here are a few tips to add to your parenting arsenal when your kid loses it:
First off, give your kid the best chance before you head out
- Make sure kids are fed & watered & have slept
- Know their limits
- Rewarding good behaviour day to day
And when it happens….
Drop the shame
- We have all been there!
- Ignore on lookers. Your focus is your child
Make sure you aren’t near anything that can hurt themselves or someone else
- You don’t want them breaking anything expensive
- The priority is their safety
Empathetic and calm
- Do not mirror their anger, stay calm and act like you are in control (even if you’re not)
- Use a quiet voice
- Use their name and let them know that you understand that they’re angry
- Get down on their level- physically
Help with self-calming
- Take deep breaths with them
- Put yourselves in a ‘time out’ somewhere so you can both calm down (Sit on a bench, stand in a vestibule,
Distract, Distract, Distract
- Show them something else other than what they want
- Take them to a new environment
- Start a new activity
When you are calm, what is the root cause?
- Talk it through: What made you so angry? How did it feel in your body? What can we do differently next time?