When your child gets angry it can be enough for you to lose your mind. However, there are certain things you should do that will help keep both you and your little one sane.
There is no reasoning with an angry child but sending them into their room to cool off won’t make the situation any easier. Here are 6 tips on what you should do:
Take a deep breath
An angry child should not mean an angry adult. Keep calm and take a deep breath. No matter how hard it may be to keep your cool, you need to lead by example.
Tantrums are a way of life
Even adults find themselves having a tantrum because something has not gone their way, although we don’t stamp our feet, the feelings can be the same. Telling your little one you understand what they are feeling will help them to calm down and know they aren’t on their own.
Stay with them
Don’t send them off to deal with it by themselves. Anger can be pretty scary, especially when you are a young child and can’t control your feelings. Stay with your little one but avoid a screaming match.
Don’t overreact
The worst thing a parent can do is overreact when their child gets angry. We all feel angry every now and then, kids just express it more verbally. Understand where their anger is coming from before you find reason to punish them. Getting them to calm down should be your main focus – not punishing them.
Don’t make threats in the heat of the moment
Don’t think you’re alone if you make threats in a quest to calm your child. We’ve all been there - “if you don’t calm down you won’t go to the party”, but it very rarely works in solving the problem and usually just causes it to escalade. Wait until you are all clam before thinking about punishment.
Talk about it
When the situation is calm and everything is back to normal, have a quick chat with your little one about how they can handle the situation better for the next time it happens. Talk about breathing, counting to ten or expressing their feelings in another way.
Being angry is normal but your child needs to know the right and wrong way to express it.
