As I was dealing with my daughter in her "terrific twos" (Haha!), I was reminded of some important rules of temper tantrums.
#1 If you know your child is not hurt, ignore the temper tantrum. The more attention you give your child,
the worse the tantrum will be.
#2 Try distracting your child by getting involved in something else. My daughter loves reading, so
sometimes I will just go over to the couch and start reading a book out loud. Of course, I don't even
look at her. I act like I'm just enjoying the book myself. Most of the time, within a minute or two, she
will quiet down and join me.
#3 Most importantly, don't give in! If you give in, you are reinforcing that temper tantrum behavior is an
acceptable way to get what you want.
What would you do if they were head bangers during those temper tantrums? :-)
ReplyDeleteI would recommend one of two things. If the area where the child is head banging is soft where no damage could be done to the child, I would leave the child be and try the distraction method. If the child's safety (or your other children's safety) is in question, I would probably give the child a modified time out with you where you take the child to a spot away (maybe a couch, soft chair, or bed) and let her finish out her temper tantrum. You could bring something like a book to use for distraction.
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