We’ve all been there in the store, at a restaurant, or worse, on an airplane when our toddler decides to have a meltdown. That dreaded moment when you, the parent, feel completely out of control of the situation, your child is on the floor, crying, kicking, screaming. What do you do? That’s what happened to a family featured on the Today Show on NBC recently. They were on their way home from vacation when their 2-year-old threw a tantrum and they were asked to leave the plane when the child couldn’t settle down.
Toddlers are famous for having minds of their own and can express strong feelings about what goes on around them. The word “NO” becomes a favorite and powerful tool that helps them assert their independence. At the same time, the many things they want to explore can easily overwhelm toddlers. Parents and caregivers are often challenged as they try to support their toddler’s flood of emotions.
Tantrums can be challenging to manage, but if adults can reframe their thoughts and feelings surrounding the struggle, they can help children develop vital self-calming and recuperative skills that eventually enable children to walk up and down their own “emotional ladders.”
“Don’t feel pressured by people who are watching,” says Wendy Sullivan, Regional Infant Toddler Specialist Coordinator at the Capital District Child Care Council. “Stay close while they tantrum, let them know you are there for them and love them. Tantrums are an opportunity to connect with a child and teach them how to deal with intense emotions.”
The author is director of marketing and technology for the Capital District Child Care Council.
