Little Kid Big Temper

Tantrums don't suddenly appear. They are learned. Controlling or eliminating tantrums isn't complicated, but it is hard work. It will be easier if you keep one simple premise in mind: tantrums aren't personal. Toddlers and pre-school children don't throw tantrums because they want to be naughty. They don't scream and yell because they want to bother you. Children throw tantrums simply because most of times they actually work. It is your job to make tantrums fail.

Can I have a lollipop?

This sentence, when uttered in a crowded supermarket, has the power to invoke a racing heart and sweating palms in many parents. The answer is no. The child raises her voice. The answer is still no. The child drops to the floor. The answer turns into a discussion and the child's voice increases in volume. The tears flow, the shrieks begin and, after a few parental self-conscious glances at near by shoppers … the answer becomes yes.

Sounds familiar?
What makes the child in the next aisle accept “no” with a sign of the shoulders or a nod? Why is your child the one who throws tantrums? There is no easy answer to this question, but there are some patterns of thinking and practical methods that you can use to break the cycle. It is a simple, yet powerful fact. A child's behavior can be modified. Rewarding a child's behavior will increase the occurrence of that behavior. Ignoring it will decrease, and often eliminate the behavior.