Gaurav Goyal
Tantrums are a normal part of a child’s growth and development; they throw tantrums when they are unable to express their feelings. Tantrums are nothing but the emotional response of the child towards a situation to seek the parent’s attention. It is a form of anger, which has resulted as parents did not pay any heed or attention to their requirements. Do not spread negativity around the child and say he or she is bad. Try to present the action which is done is bad but the child is good. By doing this they try to analyze their wrongdoings. Many parents feel embarrassed when the child starts screaming or stomping their feet in public. As mature adults, parents should be patient and maintain cool. Never try to discipline your child in front of outsiders; this develops a sense of low-esteem and the child will lose confidence. A parent-child interaction should be pleasing and comforting for the child so that the child develops trust and shares his or her fear, stress and anxiety.
Sometimes it is predictable when your child may start throwing tantrums, you can try to prepare the child for the situation, like the child may throw tantrums while eating, brushing teeth, seeing people around, etc. When the child is in a calm and composed state discuss with him. Tell him it is okay to unlike a situation but that does not mean he can scream, shout and create a scene. If he does not like anything put the things in words so that mama can understand you do not like that. Tell the child “if you are just screaming, mama will not know what exacting is hurting or bothering you” the child’s sentence in a simple and polite language can be understood. Sometimes the child may find it difficult to phrase the sentence, help the child to frame the sentence
Children are to be dealt with carefully considering their emotional instability and its impact on the overall mental health and growth. Try to negotiate with your child about his wants and demands. Negotiations should be done only for things which are acceptable and not for mandatory things like if the child throws tantrums not to brush teeth, it’s a strict no-no, and you cannot negotiate in this case.
The following tips might be helpful for the parents to control a short-tempered child.
- Ignoring is the best thing, tantrums may last for some time and the child will settle down soon
- Never punish the child for throwing tantrums
- Educate the child to speak, rather than screaming or shouting
- Try to comfort the child
- When an unpleasant situation is expected try to divert the child attention
- Appreciate good behavior of the child
