It turns out my lovely, easy-going little angel does have a dark side....She is nearly a year old and has decided that to prove she is growing up and ready to make her own decisions (despite whether her parents agree or not), she will hurl herself to the floor in a rage of tears and screams so that we know she is serious. I had always thought I would know just how to handle this if it ever came up: just be firm, don't give them what they want, put the child in a safe area and allow them to have their tantrum, give them a swat on the butt with a firm "no", hug and reassure them that you love them and redirect them to something else...etc. etc.....so my question is...What if none of these things work? Anyone have any advice or tricks up their sleeves that work?
3 comments:
Oh Jes,
I have no advice for you. But I wish that I did. Hang in there, girl!
I wish I had advice to offer! Madelaine doesn't respond well to redirection either, to put it mildly. :-) She does love to be read to, and that's one of the only things that can distract her when she's determined about something.
I've always wondered, though -- where do they learn to drop to the ground, kicking and screaming? Most toddlers have never seen that from an adult, yet almost all toddlers do it at some point. It's odd how universal that is...
Sometimes, when nothing is working for those melt-downs, I give myself a mommy time out and go into another room nearby (the bathroom is a fave) to just breathe and pray that God will give me guidance on what to do...or just patience to wait it out. And He always does! (usually it is the patience to wait it out...)
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