Learn from our experts how to deal with your child's temper tantrums and angry outbursts. From toddlers to teens, we explain how to manage tantrums when they happen—and how to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
The parents I've worked with often have ineffective ways of responding to and managing their child's meltdowns. They either go to one extreme and yell, threaten, restrain, or even spank the child, or they go to the other extreme and give in. In both cases, the parent may stop the meltdown, but they haven't taught... Read more »
Kids thrive on the connection they have with you, and if a child is always negative, they will usually get a reaction from their parents. As odd as it sounds, sometimes the negativity spewing from your child's lips is not meant to sound as bad as it does. They may simply want contact with you,... Read more »
Have you ever heard someone talk about how well-behaved your child is and thought in disbelief, “Excuse me? Are you talking about my kid?” While we usually enjoy hearing good things about our children, being told that your child is an angel by others can be confusing and frustrating when she’s out of control at... Read more »
Why are temper tantrums so difficult for parents to handle? Besides the fact that they’re loud, annoying and embarrassing, we often feel it’s our job requirement to make our kids act the way we feel they should behave. If we can’t do that, we feel ineffective. We also don’t like the judgments that we imagine... Read more »
You thought the terrible twos were bad. Now you’re dealing with the terrible thirteens—and it’s even worse. When she was two, she cried, kicked, and screamed. At 13, she’s yelling, slamming doors, storming out of the house, and screaming, “You can’t control me!” You can reduce and eliminate teenage tantrums by taking these six steps. But... Read more »
When I answered the phone, I heard the shrieks immediately. It was obvious that a child was having a nuclear meltdown on the other end of the line and the mother, exhausted and frantic, was calling parent coaching for help. As the mother tried to explain what was going on, I struggled to hear her... Read more »
It's a familiar scene: you're standing in line at the grocery store, almost finished checking out. For the fourth time in a row, your child asks for a piece of candy strategically placed at kids' eye level in the checkout line. You've repeatedly said no when suddenly, the tantrum starts. Their legs and arms flail,... Read more »
If your child acts out in public, and you don't respond effectively, your child learns they can blackmail you and hold you hostage with their behavior. Their mindset is, "Give me my way or face my acting out." Their behavior may involve yelling, screaming, and tantrums. It may be angry faces and a disgusted tone, disrespectful... Read more »
Sarah is trying to get her 3-year-old son Sam into the car to go to the library, when he suddenly decides that not only is his car seat a form of torture, but that he doesn’t want to go to the library after all. While trying to maintain her composure and calmly get Sam buckled,... Read more »
"Too often, parents work under the faulty assumption that if they can simply explain things to a child having a tantrum, the child will fall in line and stop misbehaving. As a result, many parents talk above the developmental level of their toddler." Knowing how to handle your child or toddler effectively can feel overwhelming at times.... Read more »
