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Why are temper tantrums so difficult for parents to handle? Besides the fact that they’re loud, annoying and embarrassing, we often feel it’s our job requirement to make our kids act the way we feel they should behave. If we can’t do that, we feel ineffective. We also don’t like the judgments that we imagine others are making of us when our kids are out of control. We don’t know what to do, but feel we must do something—after all, we are the parents.

And of course, on a deep level we want our kids to learn how to calm down and act “normally.” When they’re not able to do that because they haven’t yet figured out how to manage their own frustrations, it can sometimes cause us to have our own tantrums, which only adds more fuel to the fire. And when we feel a sense of helplessness, we often react by getting angry or giving in—and then we feel controlled by our kids’ behavior. But attempting to manage our anxiety by trying to control their responses never works. I think it’s better to focus on dealing with our own feelings of helplessness, embarrassment and frustration when our kids are having a meltdown.

Remember, you’re just trying to be the anchor in the storm that’s calming the system down. If one person in a system can stay relatively calm, that is the best way you can quiet any kind of upset or tantrum.

Sometimes parents ask me if there are ways to stop child temper tantrums from happening. I don’t really think there are—I think it’s natural to have tantrums. We adults have them all the time. We can lose our temper when someone cuts us off in traffic or when our kids don’t listen. Maturing is all about managing our emotions more effectively, and it’s a lifetime project. In my opinion, we can’t prevent tantrums, but we can impact how often and how long they go on by the way we respond to our children’s outbursts.

I think when our children feel that we need them to behave “our way” in order for us to feel calm, it’s a natural reaction for them to become defensive. You’ll see an attitude of, “Oh yeah? Nobody can tell me what to do.” Ultimately, they will just shout louder and create more of a scene.

We feel uneasy when we see our kids struggle, or be upset or uncomfortable, and this compounds the situation. As a result, we try to manage the anxiety that this provokes in us. When we yell or give in, we’re relieving our own distress rather than helping our children develop self control.

When Your Child Has a Tantrum in Public

When your child has a temper tantrum in front of others, there’s an extra element of embarrassment and shame that we feel as parents. I understand how that happens—it’s natural to react that way. We often think that being a good parent means having well–behaved kids all the time, so we imagine others are judging us by that standard. But as Total Transformation creator James Lehman says, “You are not a mind reader. If you try to imagine what others are thinking, 95 percent of the time you’re going to read something negative there. That’s because whenever we’re negative, we interpret other people’s perceptions of us as negative.”

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Look at it this way: the tantrum really isn’t about us, it’s about our child. While it’s easy to personalize your child’s tantrum and feel like it’s about you when it’s happening, trust me, it’s really about your child. Try asking yourself at those times, “What is most important, what others think of me, or what I think an effective parent would do right now?”

If you’re in public or with others, you can simply explain that your child is having a hard time, excuse yourself and move out of the situation. Leave the room, go to the car, or go home. Do whatever you need to do quickly and matter–of–factly. Remember, you don’t want to give the tantrum attention, either positively or negatively.

What to Do Before the Next Tantrum

Hold on to your principles: In a relaxed moment, sit down and think about how you want to behave under the worst kind of stress. This is really key, because if you’re going to go by your “emotion of the moment,” you’ll often end up losing your cool. Consider how you want to react, and hold that picture in your mind. The next time your child acts out, do your best to remain true to that image of yourself. It may take some practice, but eventually you’ll be able to do it.

Know what you can handle: Be realistic with your expectations. Know what you—and your kids—can handle. If you try to go on 15 errands instead of one, many young kids will not be able to deal with it. If your child is a little bit older, let him know what you expect; prepare him for what’s coming. You can say, “If you fall apart or start yelling for something, this is what’s going to happen.” Tell him what his consequence will be—and stick to it. If you are going to a store and your child tends to want everything in sight, provide him with a way to cope with his frustrations. For elementary school kids, I think it’s helpful to have them bring a pad of paper and a pen and make a list of things they want. They can put things they see on their Christmas or birthday list. Smaller kids might draw pictures of what they’d like. I think it’s helpful to have a little tool box, so to speak, of things for your kids to do so that they can help themselves stay calm.

Try to avoid your child’s “triggers” if you can: Try to avoid triggers that you know will set your child off. If your children are older, you can teach them to observe themselves. Do this by pointing out what you see happening. You can say, “I know when you come home from school and you’ve had a bad day, you tend to take it out on your little brother. What can you do instead of yelling at him and picking a fight?” Your child might say, “Well, I can spend some time in my room listening to music instead.” Your goal with your child here is to try some new things to avoid his triggers, and teach him how to see what sets him off in the process. Physical triggers are also very common. For younger children especially, make sure they’re getting proper rest and food and that they’re not over–extended.

Plan ahead and give yourself a pep talk: If you know certain things trigger your child’s tantrums, plan ahead. Say to yourself, “We’re going to the grocery store, and I know what typically can happen there. So I’m going to warn my child and talk about what my expectations are ahead of time. If he has a tantrum, I’m going to stick to my guns.” Help coach him on ways to handle those triggers and let him know what you’ll do if he cannot manage his frustration. With younger kids, from toddler to the age of six, you may have to just physically pick them up and move them out of the store. Prepare yourself for that eventuality.

Be a good role model: Be a good role model in terms of your own behavior. How do you feel when you’re frustrated about something? What you do with those feelings is something your child is going to learn. Decide how you will behave, no matter how your child behaves. Step away from your own emotions to figure out thoughtful responses to these difficult situations. Ask yourself this question: “How can I calm down when my child loses it?” instead of “How can I get my child to calm down?” No one can control how another person feels, period. And the more you try to manage your child’s reactions, the more he’ll probably act out.

What to Do When Your Child Goes into Tantrum Mode

Here are some rules of thumb I’ve found to be effective when you’re in the eye of the storm and your child has gone into tantrum mode.

Get yourself to zero: The first order of business is to get yourself under control; get calm, rather than trying to get your child under control. Put the effort there. Take a walk around the house, count to 100, take your own timeout. Call a friend. Do whatever you can do to get yourself under control, but again, try not to lose your temper. Remember, you’re just trying to be the anchor in the storm that’s calming the system down. If one person in a system can stay relatively calm, that’s the best way to quiet any kind of upset or tantrum.

Remember that you’re not responsible for getting your child under control: Remember, you are not responsible for the choices your child makes. Rather, you are responsible for how you choose to handle those choices. Try not to get engaged by your kids’ angry outbursts. If it doesn’t capture you, it won’t capture them. Stay focused on staying calm. Do not react by yelling, worrying, hovering or giving in—all typical things that we do as parents.

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Try not to lose it and have your own tantrum: This will only serve to escalate your child’s anger and frustration, and make him feel more defensive. Remember, anxiety is contagious, and so is calm.

Do not give into your child’s request: If you give in to your child’s requests when he has an outburst, it will set up a pattern where you create more tantrums. In effect, you’ve taught your child that the best way to get what he wants is to scream, yell and be out of control.

Isolate your child: I don’t mean to put your child into an isolation booth, but rather, put your younger child in his room or in some spot where he can have a timeout or cooling off period and learn how to soothe himself. Make sure you’re not continually engaging him in his tantrum.

Fake it if you have to: There’s an old saying: “Fake it till you make it.” While you ultimately want to get calm, I think it’s okay to fake it until you get there. Of course you feel terrible inside: you’re embarrassed, upset and frustrated, but try saying to yourself, “I’m not going to react to these feelings because this will not solve my problem.” So in other words, you don’t have to be truly calm at first. You will have uncomfortable feelings, but it’s what you do with those feelings that matters. (And in the end, that’s the same thing we’re trying to teach our kids.)

Remind yourself that it’s your job to teach your child: Remind yourself that you are the teacher. Your children can’t handle these strong emotions yet and it’s our job to help them learn how to do that. Remember, they are testing you—and believe it or not, they truly want you to win this particular test. On the surface, your child really wants you to give in, but on another level, he wants to see that there are strong parents in the room. Kids want to know that their parents are sturdy, strong and reliable and are people who mean what they say. They don’t want parents who are going to fall apart. They need us to stay anchored so they won’t drown.

What to Say During the Tantrum

Be clear and calm: Be clear and firm with your child. They want to see that you’re in charge and that somebody is in control. That’s going to come through your voice, expression and body language. You want to communicate that you are not losing it in any way. Keep your center and be very firm. You can say, “We are not staying here. We can come back when you can pull yourself together. We are leaving now.”

Use empathy: When your child is in the middle of a tantrum, I think it’s important to be empathetic but not give in or lose it. If it’s appropriate, you can say, “I know it’s very frustrating, I understand you wanted to get this video game today.” Empathy opens people up to being able to hear us; if we don’t start with that, it shuts things down. I don’t mean that you should spend lots of time delving into your child’s feelings, but a tone, a look or a word of empathy can go a long way when your child is frustrated.

The little question you should ask yourself: Ask yourself, “What do I want to do in this situation?” Rather than, “What do I want my child to do.” Just that little switch in thinking often makes a big difference. Because again, if I’m going to be working hard to get my kids under control, it’s going to be a very different outcome than if I’m working hard to get myself under control.

When Kids Don’t Learn How to Manage Their Emotions

If you give in to your child when he has tantrums—or throw one yourself in reaction to his outbursts—as he grows older and reaches adolescence, this will often turn into a chronic power struggle. Sadly, I’ve seen it many times in my practice. And temper tantrums in older children are no laughing matter. Your teenage son will become relentless; he won’t take “no” for an answer. Your tween daughter will wear you down and become an expert at manipulating you. Or your child might become aggressive and fight with you all the time. What these kids learn is that they can get things by intimidating other people. They will not have learned how to regulate themselves so therefore their behaviors will be very reactive and extreme. And believe me, these power struggles do become battles.

Just look at a two–year–old throwing a tantrum and imagine what a 20–year–old will look like. You might see him punching the walls, yelling, calling you names and intimidating you, and storming out of the house. And if you react in turn, on and on it goes. But here’s a secret: it just takes one person to stop this pattern, and then the whole thing settles down. So decide not to hit the ball back next time. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you when your child acts out. That will ultimately help your child to manage his strong emotions and frustrations.

So think about building relationships for the long term, rather than changing annoying behaviors in the shorter term. A lot of times, we just want to get our kids to stop the tantrum or acting-out behavior. We think, “I can’t stand this anymore!” or “They’re fighting all the time. It’s driving me crazy!” If we simply want to get somebody to stop doing something, we can probably get them to do it, but we may hurt our relationship with them in the long term. On the other hand, if we want to work on a relationship that is going to have longevity ten or twenty years from now, we have to think of it in terms of building on it every time we respond to our kids. We need to thoughtfully respond to them so that we keep the relationship intact. And the way we can do that is by trying to influence them rather than control them. Influence comes through respecting our kids and their choices, and not getting mad at them or taking it personally when they have tantrums. In my opinion, this is the best road to building a strong relationship with our children.

Related Content: Acting Out in Public: Is Your Child’s Behavior Holding You Hostage?

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About

For more than 25 years, Debbie has offered compassionate and effective therapy and coaching, helping individuals, couples and parents to heal themselves and their relationships. Debbie is the creator of the Calm Parent AM & PM™ program and is also the author of numerous books for young people on interpersonal relations.

Comments (17)
  • Mama Bear
    !!! Best article and best advice I have been given/read on this subject!! So often this article subject is targeted towards toddlers or teens. I have found it difficult to find one for the in between ages. Thank you so much for this!!!💫
  • Hayley Gallagher, LPC
    Great article! I especially love the empathy suggestion. I have found that to be effective with my toddler more often than not. I found it super tricky to respond with empathy on occasion, but now that I know it helps, it has gotten a little easier :) Thank you forMore the tips!
  • Nicole V

    My son is almost 7, and we still deal with tantrums. I agree with this article as it teaches positive parenting and healthy responses in these situations, but my problem is I don't always apply these methods. It's very hard to in the moments, I feel blind-sided by what is happening and my brain doesn't search this tool box when needed. I am guilty of blowing up and yelling at my son when he escalates. He is relentless and the only thing that gets him to back off is when mom is very mad. I know it's not right, but I'd like to know:

    1. What are some methods to try to get the proper tools (peaceful parenting, calm, empathy, etc.) in the intense moments?

    2. I worry that I have already caused damage and he has learned my behaviors. Is it too late to turn things around?

  • Nikki

    My daughter has been having knock down, drag out tantrums. She' gets hysterical and you can't even talk to her. I empathize ("you are very mad.") and tell her that she needs to go to her room so she can calm down. If she won't, I say, "you aren't moving. So I am going to pick you up now and take you to your room." She flails and fights it. You cannot have any rational conversation with her. I tell her that I am happy to talk to her when she is calm. And then I walk away. She will follow me screaming, Mommy! mommy! What to do next is where I need your help.

    Should I repeat "I will talk to you when you calm down." And just keep taking her back to her room? Not say anything and keep taking her back to her room? Stay with her in her room but not saying anything but "you are so mad but I can't help help you/talk to you until you are calm"? Insist that she stay in her room and then hold the door closed? After a couple of times bringing her to her room, lock the door? I have tried all of these things except locking the door. Today this happened and when she kept not staying in her room to calm down, my husband raised his voice and said very harshly, "you need to stay in your room until you calm down." And then she did. For a long time screaming and eventually she fell asleep.

    My husband and I are not entirely on the same page with discipline. I'm trying to use positive discipline but I know that I struggle with consistency. He favors more traditional approaches: yelling, punishing by threatening to take away toys, time outs. I need a game plan for these tantrums so that I can do it and so that I can convince my hubby that we both need to do this (he feels like I'm not stern enough and I think his methods are ineffective especially when it's just me and the kids, which is much of the time.). HELP!!

    • Rebecca Wolfenden, Parent Coach
      Thank you for your question. It’s difficult to say what your next step should be when your daughter continues to come out of her room, because you do not mention how old your daughter is. For most young children, being separated from a parent can greatly increase theirMore anxiety and make it even more difficult for them to calm down. So, if your daughter is young (around 5 or younger), it might be more useful to stay close by, set the limit that you will talk with her when she is calm, and give her a specific activity to help herself calm down, such as drawing, looking at a book or doing a breathing exercise. If your daughter is older, though, I wouldn’t recommend continuing to talk with her or bring her back to her room. Instead, it might be more helpful to separate yourself, and take some time in another room until she calms down. In any case, I would not recommend locking her in her room, because this could be a potential safety hazard and is not likely to help her calm down. You can find more tips to help your daughter calm down from a tantrum, regardless of her age, in How to Handle Temper Tantrums: Coaching Kids to Calm Down. I hope you will write back and let us know how things are going for you and your family. Take care.
  • Diaba
    My 19 month old daughter has tantrums almost from the moment I get her from school to the moment when my husband gets home. It's non stop. She wants me to hold her 24/7 and when I don't she hits, screams, throws herself to the ground, etc. this behavior isMore only with me... She is okay with my husband and her grandparents. I sometimes hide in the bathroom, while making sure she is ok, to get away from her tantrums. I feel like a horrible parent. I try my best to ignore it, but she gets the best of me. I don't yell, but she can tell I'm not happy. Help!- Diana
    • RebeccaW_ParentalSupport

      Diaba 

      Tantrums are a common, yet challenging behavior for most

      parents of children this age.  You are not alone, and I assure you that it

      does not mean that you are a horrible parent if you feel the need to take a

      break at times.  Most children your daughter’s age engage in tantrums, due

      to a combination of a low frustration tolerance, few coping skills, and poor

      self-control.  Your daughter’s doctor can be a great resource for you,

      with information on child development, as well as providing any necessary

      referrals to local supports.  Another helpful resource for you might be

      the https://www.zerotothree.org/resources?type=parenting-resources, which offers information on topics

      related to young children such as tantrums, aggressive behavior, and many

      more.  Thank you for your question; take care.

  • alicia
    My daughter just turned 3 and lately she have been throwing these tantrums when I tell her its time for bed. I also have a 18 mth old, so they both share rooms however when its time to go to bed which is normally 8p.m she refuse to settle downMore especially if her sister is not asleep and want to play. In my desperate attempt to solve this, I will have her come to my room until her sister is asleep but not without yelling and screaming which have become so frustrating and embarrassing. Especially since I live in an apartment where the walls are so thin and the neighbors can hear. I don't know what to do, I am a stay at home mom and by the time my husband gets home they're already asleep and by then I am drained trying to get them to go to bed.
    • RebeccaW_ParentalSupport

      @alicia 

      Bedtime temper

      tantrums are quite normal for young children, so you are not alone in dealing

      with this situation.  I recognize that it doesn’t make it any less

      embarrassing or frustrating in that moment, however.  Although I

      understand how difficult it can be when you are staying at home with two young

      children, I hope that you are able to take a few moments for yourself during

      the day to take care of yourself.  Self-care is a crucial, yet often

      overlooked, part of parenting, and can impact how effective you are able to be

      with your children in setting limits and avoiding power struggles.  You

      can find additional strategies in our article, https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/go-to-bed-now-winning-the-bedtime-battle-with-young-kids-and-teens/. 

      Please be sure to write back and let us know how things are going for you and

      your family.  Take care.

      • alicia
        Thanks for your response Rebecca. I really havnt gotten any me time because we are not close to family and we moved about a year now, I havnt made much friends so I dont have that support system but I will read your article to gain some insights. Thanks again.
  • Fostercarer
    I have an 8 year old boy who loves high drama but the tantrums are becoming extreme. Ignoring him doesn't work, he just gets more and more in your face. He hits and has tried to punch me in the face. He has been excluded from school twice now. WeMore know what's caused this behaviour our problem is how to deal with it. Keeping calm and ignoring it doesn't work.
  • Taylor
    My son turned three this May. He has been in day care since he was 16 months old. Me and his father have never been together. And he has never had any really bad temper tantrums. We recently just moved with in my new boyfriend, we've been together for twoMore years. And because we moved I had to find new work so he hasn't been on daycare. This only been a month. And he is having the worst tantrums. Lasting up to 30 mins. He screams. He yells. He'll say things like. You hurt my feelings. My new boyfriend is stressed. I'm stressed. And we don't know how to deal with it.
    • RebeccaW_ParentalSupport

      @Taylor 

      Temper tantrums can leave many parents feeling stressed and

      overwhelmed, especially if they seem to appear suddenly.  Tantrums are a

      normal part of a young child’s development, and most kids your son’s age will

      experience tantrums at some point.  Most three-year-olds have a low

      tolerance for frustration, and few coping skills to fall back on when troubling

      situations arise.  It’s also important to note that your son has

      experienced a lot of change in a relatively short amount of time between your

      recent move, and not attending daycare anymore.  Young children tend to

      thrive on structure and routine, and so it’s common to see an increase in

      tantrums with schedule changes.  Of course, this doesn’t mean that you

      cannot address his behavior, however.  When your son is having a tantrum,

      try to stay calm, and redirect him toward a calming activity as Sara Bean

      describes in her article http://www.empoweringparents.com/coaching-kids-to-calm-down.php.  Also, creating a

      daily routine so your son knows what to expect each day can help reduce

      tantrums over time.  I understand how frustrating this behavior can be,

      and I hope that you will let us know if you have any additional

      questions.  Take care.

  • ams51
    How is someone that has to be with their kids all the time without support supposed to leave the grocery store. What about eating this week?
    • DeniseR_ParentalSupport

      @ams51

      I hear you. This certainly can be a challenging situation.

      One thing that may be helpful is implementing an incentive plan before going

      into the store. For example, you might outline 3 or 4 expectations you have,

      like staying with you, not yelling, and not grabbing things off the shelf. If

      your child meets those expectations, then s/he would earn a small rewards, like

      being able to play a game with you later or being able to watch a video when

      you get home. If s/he starts to act out while in the store, you can give one or

      two prompts by saying something like “Please stay with me. Remember what you’re

      working towards” and then continue shopping. If s/he turns the behavior around,

      then, there’s no issue. If not, the reward wouldn’t be earned. If your child goes

      into an actual tantrum, then you might consider taking a step or two away and

      waiting it out. Something to keep in mind is the more attention we give acting

      out behavior, the power we end up giving it. I hope this helps to answer your

      question. For more information, you can check out this article: Acting Out in Public: Is Your Child’s Behavior Holding You Hostage? We appreciate you

      writing in. Take care.

  • Robert
    I wish I could use this advice. I live with a four year old who has daily, volcanic tantrums. They take up 30 minutes or 1 hour. They are often the result of very selfish demands. Even if you ignore her or remain calm she will go on and on.More In fact, her mother is almost always calm but is constantly on the receiving end of abuse. She is often very naughty, for instance standing on the table and dancing with her skirt pulled up. Or she will put food in her mouth and spit it out. She will issue orders like an empress and expect housemates to do her bidding. Opposing her will elicit screams, in Japanese: 'dame!', 'daikirai!'. For instance, she will turn out all the lights and then scream and cry if anyone turns them back on. At the dinner table she will stand up sometimes in commanding posture and give out orders. She is almost always shouting - even when she is happy. I'd love her to be quiet once in a while. She doesn't know how to talk with a normal voice. She rarely respects personal space or privacy. If someone is lying on the couch, she will use them like a trampoline. Some of the tantrums will start for crazy reasons - if you ask someone innocently about food that belongs to her family, she will shout at you that it doesn't belong to you, with angry eyebrows and eyes. In all my experience with children, including as a teacher, I've never seen anyone this crazy. And the worst part is that housemates and her family pretend as if nothing is happening - at best, people nervously laugh off the tantrums. Her mother often even gives into her whimsical demands like a servant... Any advice?
    • DeniseR_ParentalSupport

      @Robert

      It can be tough when a roommate or family member doesn’t

      seem to parent their child effectively. As a bystander, this can be quite

      frustrating when the behavior impacts you directly. Since we are a website that

      offers tips to those who are in a direct parenting role, we are limited in the

      coaching we are able to offer you in this situation. It may be helpful to speak

      with the parent and ask how it would be most helpful to respond when her

      daughter is acting out in this way towards you. You might also consider walking

      away when this child begins to behave in a way that pushes your buttons. I know

      this is a difficult position to be in. The best of luck to you moving forward.

      Take care.

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