You can begin by asking some basic questions about the causes of her behavior. Generally, it’s helpful to evaluate childish outbursts in terms of three different dimensions: the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual.
There may be physical or medical reasons for your child’s feelings of frustration and subsequent meltdowns.
Is there any particular time of day when she is more likely to fly into a tantrum? If so, it’s possible that her behavior is connected with a significant drop in her blood sugar. When a child is hypoglycemic, she is often prone to become irritable and to act out in the manner you’ve described. We’d suggest that you consult with your pediatrician to determine whether or not your daughter’s tantrums are rooted in some kind of chemical imbalance in the body.
If not, give some serious attention to the second dimension of behavioral motivation: emotions.
Very young children sometimes need help controlling their emotional reactions. Your job as a parent is to set definite boundaries for the expression of childish anger and frustration and to enforce those boundaries with clear and consistent consequences.
Time outs are especially effective with toddlers. When your daughter begins to lose control, take her to a boring, neutral location – perhaps her bedroom or some other designated area where she can’t hurt herself or do any damage to the furniture – and leave her alone for a predetermined period of time. We usually suggest one minute of time out for each year of a child’s age – in other words, three minutes for a 3-year-old.
It’s important to keep your response to her unacceptable behavior as calm, as unimpassioned, and as “mechanical” and “automatic” as possible. Don’t shout and scream and wring your hands. Just remove her from the scene, take her to her room, and walk away.
In his book Have A New Kid By Friday, Dr. Kevin Leman suggests that the most effective strategy for extinguishing tantrums is simply to ignore them. That’s because in many instances – and particularly in the case of kids who are highly intelligent – the uncontrolled behavior can quickly become a means of manipulation.
Whether you realize it or not, when you react with distress, you’re actually rewarding your child for acting out. In effect, you’re telling her that she’s “in charge.” You’re letting her know that she has the power to overwhelm you and back you into a corner. It’s natural to feel that way, but if you do, don’t let on. Instead, make a conscious attempt to shift into your “nonchalant” mode.
The third dimension in dealing with your daughter’s tantrums is the spiritual.
Though most secular psychologists tend to ignore this part of the question, it represents a very real and very important aspect of human behavior. In almost every case, outward actions flow out of deep sources of inward need.
In your child’s case, it’s possible that her anger is simply the tip of the iceberg. You might visualize it as the point of a pyramid that can be divided into three layers: rage at the top, fear in the middle, and at the bottom, underlying everything else, a hidden sense of shame.
If you believe this to be the case, you will want to supplement any physical, psychological, or disciplinary measures you apply to the problem with a great deal of prayer. You can engage in spiritual warfare on your child’s behalf by praying over her at night when she is asleep, asking the Lord to remove the fear and shame that may be behind her outbursts of anger
If you would like to discuss your child’s tantrums with a member of our staff, call our Counseling department.
Resources
If a title is currently unavailable through Focus on the Family, we encourage you to use another retailer.
Focus on the Family Complete Guide to Baby & Child Care
Busy Mom’s Guide to Parenting Young Children
The Christian Mama’s Guide to Parenting a Toddler
You Can’t Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded)
The New Strong-Willed Child
Referrals
John Rosemond: Parenting with Love and Leadership
