What Do You Do When Your Child Throws A Tantrum?


The past two or so weeks my eldest daughter, Mia, who is 6 years old has been awful with her behaviour and attitude. You really would think she is much older than she is with the way she behaves when she gets into a bad temper. She is not usually like this so I do say it is a phase and it has happened a good few months ago but it is happening again and worse. There hasn't been one day where I haven't dealt with her bad behaviour and horrible attitude, except for the one day she was at her Dad's on the weekend.


Something so small will trigger her, whether it is just me telling her that she isn't allowed a pudding after food because she missbehaved in the morning, or asking her to pick up her shoes/jacket and putting it in the box, something so small and it will be a temper and attitude that lasts over 30 minutes and dealing with a child with a bad attitude, 30 minutes will seem like a long time.

I am 31 weeks pregnant and I am not going to lie, it is bloody tough dealing with her bad behaviour and attitude especially that I can't move quick enough or shout/talk as much because I get so out of breath. I try and deal with her behaviour in different ways, some work sometimes and others don't. I don't find the same thing works to calm her down every time. Sometimes you do have to raise your voice or get the naughty/quiet step out.

Naughty/Quiet Step
Naughty or quiet step, whichever you call them I do believe this works. Some parents don't agree with it but some parents stand by it and I am one of them. It doesn't really work for Elliw but it works for Mia - which shows every child is different. I used the step for Mia to calm down and think about what she has done. As I put her there I will explain to her what she has done wrong and leave her there for 6 minutes {1 minute for each year of her age}. If she moves from there or screams again, I will add an extra minute or re-start the time. When the time is finished, I will go up to her and explain to her she is not to do what she did again and ask her if she has anything to say, we will then kiss and cuddle. This will work sometimes but has worked most times.

Ignore
I do agree with ignoring a child when they have a bad tantrum. However, there is only up to an extent that you can ignore a child screaming and misbehaving. In the past two weeks I have been hit and kicked by Mia. Sometimes I will ignore but when she starts throwing things and constantly hit me over and over I do have to do something. Sometimes she will get a small tap on the bum because she hurt me or she will be sent to bed with something being taken off her and she will also be banned off something too such as the iPad for example.

Introduce A Reward Chart
This will only work for some as each child is different. Some will be excited and some will be excited for a bit but get bored of it. You need to make it interesting and different. Mia and Elliw has one, Elliw is loving hers but Mia doesn't seem that bothered by it so far.

Be Calm
This can be very hard to do especially if you are feeling really stressed with the child misbehaving to much. However, sometimes, being calm is a good thing. I agree, you can not be calm all the time but if you feel being calm is a way to calm your child down then do it. Maybe the child is just having a bad day or feeling bored, so being calm with them will help them calm down too.

How do you cope with your child's temper?

1 comment

  1. Thankfully I've not needed to introduce the naughty step (yet!) but I hear it works wonders. My 3 year old can throw a brilliant tantrum but I've found the best way for me to deal with it is to be calm and talk him down. If it's something really serious then I tell him I'll be taking one toy away until he proves he can be good. Obviously this is tricky after a long day and of course I have slip-up where I get wound up too but I find he just gets more angry if he sees I'm angry.

    Sounds like you're doing a brilliant job, I bet it's tough at times being pregnant and dealing with a 6 year old. I've got all this to come!

     Photo-Jenn-ic

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