Little Rahul, quiet and happy a moment ago while solving a jigsaw puzzle, suddenly starts yelling and shouting as he tries to force in a piece in the wrong place. It soon turns into a full-blown outburst with frustrated screams as he hurls the pieces of his puzzle around the room in anger.
In the midst of what seemed like a pleasant exchange with her parents, three-year-old Nafisa suddenly starts stomping her feet, demanding to be taken to her friend’s home immediately.
Both the above are classic examples of toddler tantrums. As a parent, dealing with your kid’s tantrum may be anything but a pleasant task, especially when it happens in public. But however embarrassed or angry you may be, remember that you need to deal with this with tact -- to remedy the current situation as well as take steps to prevent it from happening again.
Tantrums are part and parcel of growing up – basically, normal behavior in children -- arising out of anger, helplessness or fear. These feelings usually surface in the face of emotional, physical and mental challenges. In the early years when children are learning to be independent -- and their vocabulary is limited -- tantrums are a way of letting parents know they feel all is not well.
Parents sometimes wonder why children so well-behaved in front of strangers throw it all away with their parents or family. It’s not that you are being targeted intentionally – it is just that your child is comfortable expressing frustration around you and not with outsiders.
Avoiding tantrums Here are strategies to avoid tantrums in your kid, or at least to keep them to a minimum:
