Temper Tantrums

by Ann Douglas

I’m a mom of two boys and am having a hard time with my youngest. He is three years old and has always been more explosive with his behaviour than my older son. He quickly gets frustrated and angry about not being able to do something when he is told “No” and becomes this screaming/hitting child I don’t know. While he is in the middle of his tantrum I am not able to reach him and when he is done he is usually still so angry he won’t listen to me anyway. How can I keep the tantrums at bay?

The simplest solution is to try to prevent problems from occurring in the first place. In addition to timing your shopping trip well (not shopping when he’s hungry or over-tired or not feeling well), try using distraction to your advantage.

If, for example, your three-year-old finds it difficult to wait in line at the grocery store and starts whining for candy or running around, you could try to head off the problem by distracting him before he has a chance to get too bored and antsy. You might create some grocery store game cards before you leave home (so he can match colors, shapes, numbers, or letters on the cards to items in your grocery cart) or you might make up a game that will fill the time until you get to the front of the line (e.g. “I went to the store and I bought dinosaur milk to take to my house.” “I went to the store and I bought dinosaur milk and dinosaur bread to take to my house.”)

If that strategy fails miserably, try to grocery shop without him until he gets a little older, whether that means leaving him in the care of a family member or trusted friend or switching to a grocery store that allows you to place your order online or by phone. Sometimes changing your routine is the best solution of all.

This article originally appeared in What's Up? Canada's Family Magazine.