Nee, I have been wondering if he is doing it for attention and when they happen at home I have started to ignore them, but when its in public i find that it is not always so easy.
Ryn - Thanks for that, I'll will have to try approaching it from that direction. I think i have been struggling with the fact he wants/needs more independance and I need to adjust his boundaries.
I work as a clinical psychologist/counsellor with children and their families. I'm also a mother to a 16-months-old, who is starting to assert her independence!
I think that the keys to a well behaved & happy child are 1) having clear rules/boundaries and 2) stick to them consistently, 3) while still being mindful about your child's emotional state and developmental stage.
Tantrum is a very normal phase of development, and children usually grow out of it by about 5 years of age. We can, and it is important to, teach our children to be polite, caring, etc while our children are still going through this stage. It is also important to see if your child is ready to listen to what you have to say - ie, has s/he calmed down enough? does she feel listened to (eg, parent accept s/he's feeling upset)?
Having said these, well, I'm finding my DD's "little" tanrum can already be a big challenge!!! Parenting, what a joyful yet demanding job
I have only just seen this post...i am so sorry to hear your having a few issues at the moment. I think your doing a fantastic job in the way you are approaching this behaviour and yes it is a little bit harder when out in public,espcially when you cant just get in the car and drive home and remove your DS from the situation.
If it makes you feel any better, your DS isn't the only 3 year old child who has tanty's like this most children will go through their fair share of tanty's too at some stage or another. Your doing a fantastic job darl, keep it up and i'm sure the tanty's will happen less and less as time passes.
Take care, and if you ever want to chat you know im here x
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