Over the last few weeks, I have noticed a peek in temper tantrum activities in Aj. He is almost three, so it's definitely the age that makes parents all over the world want to pull their hair out and claim "safe haven." Some days are better than others, but most days, this is about how it goes:
Aj- "Juice pack?" Me- "No, Aj. You already had one." Commence screaming.
Aj- "Outside?" Me- "No, Aj. Mommy has six loads of laundry to fold." Commence screaming.
Aj- "Thomas?" Me- "No, Aj. We've already watched Thomas 13 times. I would like to maintain my sanity for awhile longer." Commence screaming.
I could keep giving you examples, but I'm sure you get the picture. Pretty much anything he asks for, and I say no, we go through about five minutes of screaming, whining, and it usually ends up with me feeling just as frustrated as he does.
The experts tell you to ignore the tantrums. Just make sure they can't hurt themselves, then walk away. That's great. Want to know what happens when I walk away? He screams more. A few days ago, during one of his tantrums because I got him out of the bath tub before he was ready, I sent him to his room. I went in to put his clothes on him, and he told me no, and screamed at me, and I put his clothes on anyway. Then I told him if he couldn't be nice, he had to stay in his room. I walked away, and he screamed until he almost threw up. I guess the experts haven't met my kids.
So to this day, I don't know how to handle my child's temper. Usually, with time he stops crying and settles down, but quite honestly, I think it has to be up to him. I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do to stop these tantrums. Heaven help me until this age ends.
In my quest for finding out how else to handle these, I came across a neat little website I would like to share. www.familyeducation.com It has expert and parental advice, a list of developmental milestones by age group, and all sorts of other resources. Enjoy.
