"My five year old son has developed severe tantrums that were not there before. He kicks and cries and now even attempts to bite other people. What do I do?" Anonymous mum

[Gery Kamau]

Hi Anonymous mum,

Kids behavior can be become erratic and unpredictable. One minute they are all good and being disciplined then the next minute they become rowdy and almost annoying. Experts say that tantrums are a way of capturing the parents attention but needless to say they can be caused by a myriad of other factors that influence the occurrence of a tantrum.

However kids are kids and are bound to be fussy at times. I will share some tips that will calm the child down and if repeated when they have a tantrum will help shape their behavior.

• Find out the cause of the tantrum. Know why they are behaving that way
• Calm yourself down first and do not act immediately out of anger as this will just aggravate the situation
• Find a quick distraction to occupy the mind of the child for the moment
• Wait patiently for the tantrum to stop 
• Stand your ground on the decision you have taken
• Hold your child firmly until the tantrum passes.

 

[Wandering_free]

I love this post! These are all really great ways to handle a child’s temper tantrums. I taught preschool for 3 years, and in my experience, keeping yourself calm helps to douse the fire a bit. Desperately trying to stop the tantrum usually doesn’t work. I feel it’s best to allow the child to have the tantrum so that they will eventually tire out, but as you stated, finding something to distract the child is helpful in taking their attention away from whatever was causing them to become upset.