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Don't Give In To Tantrums.
Children are creative...and they are smart. They know things you wish they never did! But guess what. They learn alot of it from you.
If you give in everytime your child cries, whines, kicks, screams, throws themselves onto the floor, or holds their breath.....you are teaching them that this gets them what they want. You are reinforcing what they thought they already knew.
The next time your child throws a tantrum follow these steps:
*Stay calm ~ If you get mad, this tells the child that their tantrum has gained your attention.
*Let your child throw his/her tantrum~ They will stop as soon as they realize that it isn't working. This is hard in a public place. Should this happen in a public place, gently take your child by the hand, or pick them up, and leave.
*Show your child the consequences of his/her actions ~ Once the tantrum has ended -and it will- teach your child that tantrums are not acceptable behavior. Give the child a time out, or take away privileges for the day. Make sure the punishment fits the crime, as well as the age of the child.
This is a good start to teaching your child that tantrums will not result in getting what they want, but instead will result in having something taken away.
The next time (s)he wants something, (s)he might think twice before hitting the floor, or holding his/her breath until (s)he turns blue!
