Parents are not to be blamed for toddlers who throw tantrum

Up until now, it has been thought that children throw tantrums because of their parents. To some, a child screaming in the presence of large crowds meant that their mums and dads weren't raising them the right way.

 

However, new evidence now shows that a child's upbringing is not to blame for a toddler's tantrum as these behaviors have a lot more to do with a kid's genes.

 

Researchers in the University of Montreal studied the genes of identical and non-identical twins and then asked their mothers to rate how aggressive their children were.

 

The results showed that "early genetic factors were pervasive in accounting for developmental trends, explaining most of the stability and change in physical aggression."

 

Dr Eric Lacourse of the university thinks that such aggression should be dealt with at a very early age. He explained: “Early childhood propensities may evoke negative responses from parents and peers and consequently create contexts where the use of physical aggression is maintained and reinforced.”

 

In doing his research, Lacourse also found that "genetic associations" with tantrums doesn't mean that these behaviors are set for a child’s future. Just because they do throw tantrums now does not mean they won’t stop in the future.