| |
Behavior
Is Three Worse Than Two?
When your 3-year old's tantrums are driving you crazy
By Amy Preiser, Parenting
PRINT
EMAIL
 Robin
Taylor of Los Angeles
got a double-whammy tantrum one morning recently: Will, 2, threw one because
his bananas touched his blueberries, and his sister, Ella, 3, refused to put on
her shoes. "I was able to distract Will," says Taylor, "but Ella kicked and screamed until I
gave up."
Though 2-year-olds get pegged with the
"terrible" label, 3-year-olds can actually be more challenging. Tactics that
once calmed them may no longer work, and they can now throw fits for longer
periods of time, thanks to an increased attention span.
Your child's new tantrums may drive you
crazy, but there's a silver lining: "They mean she feels self-sufficient," says
Sharon Bergen, a senior vice president at KinderCare Learning Centers. To
nurture this independence while still keeping control:
Pick your battles. If
she balks at wearing shoes when you're going out, make it nonnegotiable. If she
wants to wear party shoes and you'd prefer sneakers, skip the fight.
Limit her choices. Letting
her decide which of three travel games to
bring in the car gives her enough power that she likely will cave on her demand to lug the dollhouse along.
Be consistent. Part of the thrill of acting out is seeing your reaction. If it's always the same -- calmly standing your ground -- your kid will
become less interested in testing you.
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
We received over 500 entries -- check out the finalists, including our winner!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stumble Upon
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Google
Yahoo
Digg it
