Temper tantrums are a normal and very common part of growing up. Ignore those eye-rolling critics. Your child’s extreme display of kicking, screaming, and crying is not a bad rap on your parenting skills. Viewed another way, tantrums can offer a great “parenting moment” to help your child learn to deal with strong emotions. So, stay calm and stay close. Your child needs you to be there.
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References:
Gottman, J., & Talaris Research Institute. (2004). What am I feeling? Seattle, WA: Parenting Press.
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Potegal, M., & Davidson, R. J. (2003). Temper tantrums in young children: 1. Behavioral composition. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 24(3), 140-147.
Thompson, R. A. (1988). Emotion and self-regulation. In R. A. Thompson (Ed.), Socioemotional development: Nebraska symposium on motivation. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
Thompson, R. A. (1994). Emotion regulation: A theme in search of definition. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, Serial No. 240, 25-52.
Thompson, R. A. (2001). Development in the first years of life. The Future of Children, 11(1), 21-33.
