Now let’s assume the same scenario happens again. Your child’s tantrum achieved its purpose: it secured the desired object by eliciting a response from you. There is instant peace and you can feel the collective sigh of relief from all the onlookers as the noise stops. You grab the treat (or a worthy substitute) and hand it over. You know that you shouldn’t give in, but just this once, you need to make it out alive. Ten or twenty old ladies (at least) are standing around with disapproving stares and two teenagers behind you cover their ears. Your child even stops to make sure you are paying attention before resuming the behaviour. There are tears and screams with kicking and thrashing on the floor. As you go through the checkout and your child realizes that no might be the final word, you find yourself face to face with a colossal performance. “We have enough toys/you don’t need the sugar/whatever it is you say.”īut “no” doesn’t work. Your child starts to whine and demand the treat. It might be candy at the checkout or an enticing toy on the end of the toy aisle. You’ve walked past something exciting that your child suddenly has to have when you’re out shopping. So how can you tell what’s causing your child’s behaviour? And what’s the best way to manage it? What Does a Tantrum Look Like? If this sounds familiar – you are not alone!īut are you really dealing with a tantrum? Or is your child having a sensory meltdown? Although they might look the same, there is a big difference between the two. You can feel the disapproving stares and you imagine that you can hear the critical comments above your child’s bellows. You feel as if all eyes are judging your (obviously inferior) parenting skills as your child screams, yells, kicks or runs around while you desperately try to calm the situation. The best response to a meltdown is to lower the stimulation levelĪny parent knows the dread of a public tantrum.
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