Temper tantrums are a way for your child to express feelings of anger or frustration. While they are a normal part of the
development of toddlers, they should be occurring less frequently after their second birthday. They usually increase when
children are hungry, tired or ill and you should try to help them cope with these situations.
An angry child is not a pretty sight. In fact, a temper tantrum with howling, stamping, screaming, and kicking may appear
frightening to on lookers. It is important to remember that no matter how embarrassing it is for you the occasional tantrum
is perfectly normal during the preschool years. These outbursts are more a matter of your child’s immaturity than naughtiness.
You should try to ignore attention-seeking or demanding tantrums and avoid situations that you know will lead to a tantrum
(including changes in their regular daily routine). If you can see that your child is getting overly frustrated and that a
tantrum is coming, you can try to distract them and shift their attention to something else.
It is important to help your child to realize that temper tantrums don't work are not going to help them get out of doing
things that they need to door get them things that they want, placating the child by giving in to their demands only reinforces
the behaviour and will ultimately increase the number of tantrums. It is important not to show anger or frustration, there
is little point trying to reason with them as they are not in the frame of mind to listen. Try not to issue ultimatums you
will quickly learn they do not work and can inflame the child further. It is often helpful for you to acknowledge the reason
that they are angry and explain that this is not the way to express it. If it is necessary to prevent harm it may be best
for you to hug your child to restrain them until they calm down.
When the tantrums are disruptive, it may be useful give your child a "time out", remove them from the situation and allow them a few minutes to calm down. Remember to praise your child when they control
their temper and cooperate with what you want them to do. When they calm down wash your child’s face give them a drink
and explain that there is nothing wrong with being angry, try to find out what triggered the tantrum and address the issues
calmly and explain that there are better ways to express themselves.
As hard as it may be when people are watching you and judging you it is really important to set a good example for your
child, by remaining calm and not loosing your control remember they just need to learn a more mature way to deal with their
feelings and the only person to learn that from is you.
