How often have you seen a celeb talk about dealing with their offsprings’ tantrums? Most celeb magazines paint a picture which makes the normal parents wonder what it is that they aren’t doing right. Considering that the rich, pretty and famous usually have everything going for them, including well-behaved children, tantrums seem to be kept aside for the non-celeb, regular people like us.
So, when I saw this video of Drew Barrymore baring her heart out about dealing with her little one's tantrums, I couldn't help but gush! It's twisted but when celebs talk about or bring forth issues like toddler tantrums, it suddenly seems all legit.
To be honest, more than the fact that it seems legit, it makes us wonder what is it that ticks of the child to throw an embarrassing tantrum, especially in public, at the worst possible time (not that there is ever a good time for a temper tantrum).
Wouldn’t it be just amazing if there were no temper tantrums at all? Well, that’s not really possible. In that case we may as well prepare ourselves to deal as gracefully as is possible, with these meltdowns and tantrums. Here are some tips to help you sail through:
- Ignore: Overlook the tantrums as well as the child. It will need all your patience to ignore the meltdown moments, however, that’s all that you can do. No amount of rationalising will help your child calm down unless he decides to calm down. Wait for that moment to talk to him.
- Give him space: Instead of shouting at them or asking them to keep quiet/calm down, let him get over it himself. Let him cry, scream, shout till he feels he has vented it all out. During a meltdown, it’s only the child who can help himself regain control.
- Divert his attention: If he is crying for the moon, show him the sun, the stars, the whole solar system, if need be. As long as you divert his attention from the object of his frustration, he should be good. Kids’ attention span is pretty short and if you are lucky, one of the diversions will catch his eye and he will stop the tantrum.
- Remain calm: As frustrating as it can get, especially if the tantrums are happening in public, try to maintain your cool. It’s really pointless to add to the noise and chaos. Also, any reaction from your side will be equivalent to paying attention to your kid’s tantrums. Any attention is good attention and the tantrums will only thrive there.
- Don’t get embarrassed: Your child isn’t the first one ever to throw a tantrum. He is not going to be the last one either. Most every parent has dealt with a child’s tantrums at least once in their life. Just laugh it off. Nobody is judging you or your parenting abilities. As much as we dread a public meltdown, stressing over it doesn’t serve any purpose.
Whatever you do, avoid giving them an incentive to stop throwing a tantrum. They will assume that they have succeeded in manipulating you and a good meltdown can make you buckle down to any of their demands. Good behaviour cannot be bought with incentives.
[Images courtesy: YouTube]
