How to deal with your child's temper tantrums and angry outbursts. Tips from our experts for parents of toddlers on up to parents of teens.
“I won’t do it!” “You can’t make me!” “I’m not going!” Do you ever find yourself wondering, “When will this child stop defying me and start doing what I ask?” It can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention exhausting, dealing with a young child or toddler who finds it necessary to challenge your every request, act in a... Read more »
You: “Please put your things away.” Your child: “I’m busy. I’ll do it later.” You: “You need to do your homework.” Your child: “It’s stupid. I’m not doing it!” You: “You’re not allowed to go to that party. You’re grounded.” Your child: “NO! I’m not grounded! I’m going!” Does it... Read more »
You thought “The Terrible Twos” were bad. Now you’re dealing with “The Terrible Thirteens,” and it’s just as bad, if not worse. When you ask your child to help around the house, inquire about school or say no to something they want to do, your teen explodes. When she was two, she cried, kicked and screamed... Read more »
When your child acts out in public to get their way, you CAN get control back. Here, James Lehman, MSW lays out some step-by-step techniques for you to use next time you hit the mall or grocery store. I’ve worked with many parents over the years who routinely gave in when their children acted... Read more »
Sarah is trying to get her 3-year-old son Sam into the car to go to the library, when he suddenly decides that not only is his car seat a form of torture, but that he doesn’t want to go to the library after all. While trying to maintain her composure and calmly get Sam buckled,... Read more »
Parenting sometimes feels like theater, where everyone is a critic—and my family took center stage this past weekend. The morning started off so hopeful. I had all three kids and my husband on board to visit the Museum of Modern Art, which is close to where we live in New York. Minutes after our arrival, all three... Read more »
When I answered the phone, I heard the shrieks immediately. It was obvious that a child was having a nuclear meltdown on the other end of the line and the mother, exhausted and frantic, was calling parent coaching for help. As the mother tried to explain what was going on, I struggled to hear her... Read more »
Our kids have the uncanny ability to get under our skin and bring out the very worst in us. I can lose my temper and yell at my kids in a way that I would never do with a child who was not my own. Indeed, we often treat our loved ones the worst. Here's... Read more »
Q: Why do kids have behavioral meltdowns and tantrums? What goes on in a child’s mind that makes him come unglued? James: Kids have meltdowns and temper tantrums for two reasons. The first reason is that they have never learned how to manage or have run out of the tools it takes to manage their feelings in... Read more »
It’s a familiar scene: You’re standing in line at the grocery store, almost finished checking out. For the fourth time in a row, your child asks for a piece of candy strategically placed at kids’ eye-level in the checkout line. You’ve repeatedly said no, when suddenly, the tantrum starts. His legs and arms flail, and... Read more »
