So... How Do I Tame a Child's Temper Tantrum?

There are a gazillion books out there about parenting, yet I’ve often found myself Googling for answers when facing a roadblock with occasional (ok, frequent) parental issues.

Most of the time I have managed to find useful tips and answers to things like, how to get a 3-year-old to drink from a cup, the best way to check for a fever, how to ignore the incessant whining of a child in a bad mood… you get the idea.

Anyway, one day, I was frantically typing “how do I tame a child’s temper tantrum” into the Google search box as my daughter repeatedly pierced my eardrums with her soprano screams. But, the answers that came up were so ridiculous they almost made me forget about the tantrum! Almost.

Luckily, Emma doesn’t have many tantrums, but when she loses it and gets into meltdown mode, we’re in for some of the loudest shrieks imaginable. At this point, asking her “what would make you feel better sweetheart?” or “let’s sit together and discuss what is bothering you,” sounds like an answer made for mocking. Yet, this is what many “parenting authorities” suggest you do when your kid is throwing an uncontrollable fit.

So, I have actually been taking a more rational approach to managing my parenting woes. I am now using more common sense and the knowledge I have of my own child to deal with situations that arise. Oh, I still Google here and there; after all, answers on how to best remove marker stains from a couch cushion, often need more than my undomestic common sense.

However, the approach I’ve come up with whenever Emma has a monster tantrum, has worked better than any professional advice I could find in a book, or a parenting website. I know her character better than anyone, so I’ve realized that keeping calm and not giving in to what created the tantrum in the first place, works best.

Also, her present state, whether she’s hungry or tired, for example, is a big factor on how quickly a fit comes, or how bad it gets. So I take that into consideration. If she’s hungry (she gets very cranky when she’s hungry), I give her something to eat right away, which usually calms her down quite fast.

She is also often distracted when I act silly (something I am shamefully good at), and present her with games or favorite toys, so doing this has also curved and/or ended many tantrums. Ok, sometimes this doesn’t take effect after a ~~long~~ while, but, hey, lucky for us, I am patient.

Of course, making wads of cotton accessible from different areas of the house to plug our ears tightly, should the need arise, is also a very good idea.

How do you deal with tantrums? Any suggestions you can add? Feel free to comment below, I love to hear what you have to say!