tantrums
Posted by: , March 5, 2010 in 11:17 am
Mean Mommy came out of her cave again last night. I keep hoping that she will go on a nice, long, tropical vacation somewhere or even get the chance to tour the vineyards in Italy but it doesn’t look promising.
Everyone told me that it isn’t the Terrible Two’s I had to watch out for the but Tantrum Three’s. They were quite right. I have never seen anything so dramatic, over the top or hysterical than the tantrums thrown by my daughter. She makes the women on ‘Rock of Love’ or the ‘Bad Girls Club’ look like nuns. At one point right around the holidays she seemed to have turned over a new leaf. We breathed a quiet, stealthy sigh of relief and made the sign of the cross. Weeks went by and our house was a happy home. Dinners were ate with quiet conversation. Errands were run without hysterical sobbing episodes. All was quiet on the western front.
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Posted by: debx2, January 4, 2010 in 12:25 pm
I was at the shopping mall with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and 14-month old daughter. Not the most understanding group so I was hoping my daugher would be one good behavior. I was wrong. Everything was going smoothly until my daughter decided that she was done shopping and entered into one of her notorious public tantrums. I tried everything in my arsenal to calm her but her screams were not subsiding. There was nothing to do but leave the store. I told them I would catch up and I took her outside where she
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Posted by: Victoria Mason, September 9, 2009 in 9:08 am
My father is the one who told me about the Georgia man who slapped a toddler in a Walmart. I was stunned but a few seconds later not completely surprised. While I believe that what the man did was not called for I can guarantee this is not the first time this has happened.
We have all had those cringe-worthy moments when we’re out in public with our children. Kids of the toddler set don’t understand reason and when things get to be too much for them (like big box stores seem to do) they let loose. If they are tired or hungry it is even worse. It’s hard as a parent who just wants to complete a task to be entirely empathetic to a child who is throwing things out of a cart or has to be dragged through a parking lot while screaming at the top of their lungs too.
Empathy, however, is exactly what is needed. For the child and the parent. From you, the public. Yes, kids can go wild and if they are not taught proper behavior they won’t know how to behave in public and that is the fault of the caregiver. Not all kids are wild animals though and sometimes it is truly a bad day and the parent is at a loss.
They need your empathy and possibly a helping hand. If you are in an airport, store or train station and you see a parent looking like they might meltdown along with their child- offer your helping hands and not your judgmental stares or criticism. They know their kid is not winning any awards right now and they probably feel like melting into the floor. Give them a friendly smile. A knowing, “been there, done that” look goes miles. It can usually be all the parent needs to regroup. Your offer of help with their bags, stroller, or opening a door can often distract the child too. A stressed out parent equates to a stressed out kid. A happy parent equals a happy kid. You, the public have the power to create such a moment with your helping hand.
Think of it as your good deed for the day.
Posted by: Victoria Mason, August 24, 2008 in 11:26 pm
I swore that after last year’s flight from hell and back (the screaming, the crying, the kicking and then there was her meltdown too) I would never get on another plane with my child again. I just couldn’t hack it. Each time I have flown since I have been alone. I gaze around at families flying with their wee babes in arms or toddlers toting cute animal backpacks and wonder how in the world they worked up the nerve to do such a thing.
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