
Blond Boy Crying
In the wake of the Democrats’ pathetic and childish tantrum in response to not getting their way on gun control (which happens when you lose elections) it might be useful to have some guidance as to how to properly respond to such unprecedented behavior.
Luckily, I happened upon the following article, written by the editors of Parenting.com. It’s amazingly appropriate to the current situation in Congress. Here are a few excerpts, slightly modified:
Temper Tantrums
How to handle your child’s temper tantrums without losing your cool
Little kids Democrats sure can create big scenes! No matter how sweet your child representative is or how good a parent citizen you are, meltdowns are a fact of toddler liberal life…
It may seem like your child’s congressman’s having a meltdown for no reason (or for a silly one). But there are real causes:
Toddlers Leftists can’t express themselves very well. Your 2- or 3-year-old congressional Democrat may know a lot of words, but he doesn’t yet have the ability to construct complex sentences—or put words to all the emotions he’s feeling. That’s why instead of saying, “Mom, I’d really like orange juice with my toast, but only in the red cup because it looks weird in the blue one, to get rid of all the guns” he screams bloody murder when you gave him apple juice in the blue cup tell him that would violate Americans’ civil rights.
Actually, you know what? It’s even funnier without modifying it, and just as accurate. Read this and tell me it’s not an exact description of what we witnessed this week:
They don’t understand delayed gratification. Little kids live in the here and now, not in our cookies-are-for-after-dinner world. Not getting what they want, when they want it, is a top tantrum producer.
They think they’re the center of the universe. In the me-me-me life of a toddler, no one else’s needs matter as much as his own. That’s why sharing is so difficult.
Defusing tantrums
Acknowledge that she’s frustrated. Your best first defense is to look your child in the eye and let her know you feel her pain. By saying “I know you want a cookie,” or even just “I know you’re upset,” you’re telling her you’re there to help her feel better. That might be enough to calm her down so you can add, “I wish we could have cookies, too. It’s too bad we can’t right now.”
Be silly
Laughter can be a great tantrum buster. If your child starts to pitch a fit about getting into the tub, try singing a goofy song—anything to make her giggle.
Try a distraction
Give her something else to think about. Try saying, “Let’s finish shopping by picking out bananas together.” Or if it’s time to leave the park, but she doesn’t want to, “How many dogs do you think we’ll see on the drive home?”
Ignore it
Sometimes, tantrums escalate because your toddler thinks she’ll get what she wants if she screams loud enough. If you don’t react, she may give up.
Leave the scene
When all else fails, get out of line, off the slide, whatever. But do it without making a fuss—you’ll be modeling calm behavior. It may be inconvenient, but it shows who’s in control: you.
Preventing meltdowns
Avoid the triggers
Try to figure out what sets your child off. Does he lose it when he’s hungry or tired? When he’s in the car seat for longer than 20 minutes? Plan ahead to stave off tantrums: Carry a snack, make sure he’s rested or stop for a break between errands.
Thanks Parenting.com!