Strategies for Dealing with Tantrums and Behavioural Issues

Dealing with tantrums or generally a child’s poor behaviour is never simple. As a parent, you, no doubt, are seeking the most effective methods to address these concerns without worsening your parent-child relationship.

So, what strategies work the best when dealing with tantrums and behavioural issues which both fall under general parenting problems?

What can you do to improve communications? Many people believe that all behaviours are as the result of trying to communicate something.

The following information can help you wade through some of the mire that leads to relationship  difficulties.

1. You first need to investigate the source of the behavioural issue.

It might be due to something like anxiety or academic or social stress. Perhaps your child is feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to keep up with his or her peers. Tantrums are often called rages when displayed by older children.

Open up the lines of communication by empathising with your child. Refrain from passing judgment. You can work out a solution if you stay focused, objective, and still. If your child is quite young, you can take their mind off their upset by diverting their attention, for example, to a book or a toy.

Consider, too, if regular tantrums are actually part of a bigger picture for your child. Sometimes, an inability to view things in the way we do or be reasoned with could be indicative of autism, PDA or ADHD (or a combination). You could ask your health visitor or child’s school for further support.

2. Don’t lose your cool or start shouting.

It will only make things more heated between the two of you. Instead, keep the conversation on a rational and reasonable level. I know this is tricky to maintain a calm approach, so take a couple of minutes, maybe more, to yourself if needs be.

3. Despite your child’s cries and tantrums, you should not give in to their demands.

It will only encourage more of the same behaviour. However, be sure to ask yourself if what they are requesting is actually needed and necessary before dismissing entirely. Ideally, this would have been done in the first place.

4. Provide more viable solutions.

If your child is acting out because they want something you can’t give them, try making a reasonable alternative offer. Offering a child a choice can be successful.

5. Define acceptable conduct and consequences, and regularly enforce these parameters.

Make your child accountable for their behaviour. However, this can often be detrimental if you try to do this too soon after the event. Give them time to cool down before broaching the subject again.

Don’t allow your child to get the best of you. After all, they need to understand their role and your role as well. Once again, maintaining your composure is crucial. It’s easy to be sucked into the protest if your child is emotionally acting out. However, your child will learn to keep their cool more often if you keep your cool as well.

See if there’s anything you can do to ease their irritation or anger if that’s the cause of their behaviour. Right now is a good opportunity to strengthen your listening and comprehension skills. Be objective in what you say and do.

You’ll help your child learn to make better judgments in the future by making it clear to them that all actions have consequences. So, it’s important to stay positive.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

It might be challenging to put the above tips into practice. But if you stick to the above plan, you’ll build trust over time. You just need to keep your resolve and focus on the task at hand.

The goal here is to keep things amicable, to be a reassuring and soothing presence in your child’s life. You don’t want to be a source of contention when dealing with tantrums or otherwise. If you can figure out what works, you can also help your child make better decisions and realise more personal success as they work at meeting their goals in life.