Expert Strategies for Taming Your Toddler ’ s Tantrums

As the parent of a toddler, you are all-too familiar with tantrums. They’re part of the landscape of your day. Maybe they happen at the same time every day. Maybe they feel random. Maybe it’s a bit of both. Either way, they’re exasperating and draining. And they also can be jarring—thanks to your toddler’s seemingly endless ear-splitting sobs and screams. Which, of course, stresses you out even more. Tantrums are actually tough to define. According to Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, PhD, a clinical psychologist and founder of Little House Calls Psychological Services, “Just as no two kids are exactly alike, no two tantrums are either.” At her practice, she learned pretty quickly that when parents brought up their kids’ “tantrums,” she needed to delve deeper. “Instead of taking the word ‘tantrum’ at face value, I always ask: What does it look like when Frances has a tantrum? If I were there, what would I see? What would I hear?” In general, Hershberg defines a tantrum as “a behavioral response to not knowing how to manage or express an overwhelming emotional experience.” Many of us assume that this overwhelming emotional experience is always anger. However, this is actually the biggest misconception about tantrums, she said. While toddlers do feel angry, they also might feel “sad, disappointed, afraid…the list goes on.” Another big myth is that tantrums are childish and immature. Quite the opposite, Hershberg noted that tantrums are a normal and...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Children and Teens General Mental Health and Wellness Parenting Self-Help chid development emotion dysregulation Emotion Regulation Learning Tantrum Toddler Source Type: blogs