Six Things You Can Do to Prevent Future Tantrums
Fewer now means fewer later
As I walked out of the grocery store with my daughter, I had the audacity to pull her out of the cart when we got to my car. She loves riding in the cart. How dare I interrupt her moment of joy? (Of course, she had just gotten a full 30 minute ride as I leisurely shopped, but what did that matter?). She reacted as any small child under the age of three would when something they love is taken away: she lost her marbles. I pulled her out of the cart and she immediately went into stiff, arched-back mode as I tried to wrestle her into her car seat. My normal baby seemed to sprout multiple arms and legs that kicked, flailed, and pushed off of the car seat. Her head tiled back and she let out a shriek that would convince any passerby that I was clearly kidnapping her or causing her severe pain. (I wasn’t).
“What is she doing?!” my four year old asked in awe.
“The same thing you would do when something you want is taken away,” I replied. “and sometimes you still do…”
“Never like that,” she protested.
“Oh, but it is like that…”
It’s like that for almost every parent and small child. Recently, I wrote an article about how to tame a tantrum when they happen. There, you will find seven strategies that will help you navigate one in the moment. But, sometimes — you may want to…
