7 must-know facts about tantrums, straight from parenting genius Maggie Dent
Toddlers are brilliant little people who provide so much joy and love, but they can also be very, very challenging. In fact, if you’re a parent to a toddler, chances are life can feel a bit like a war zone at times with tantrums unleashing on the reg, sometimes over what seems like the most inconsequential things.
We chatted to parenting educator Maggie Dent about these toddler meltdowns, and she had these very helpful tantrum facts to share with mums and dads.
Staying connected to your child helps them to calm down more quickly
Maggie says staying connected, loving and available is key when your child is having a melt-down because “the number one terror for children is ‘you don’t love me as a consequence of something I’ve done’.”
When you think of it like that, it’s pretty heartbreaking isn’t it? But there are things parents can do to ease these mid-tantrum fears.
“If we can hold the calm parent space while they’re doing what is developmentally normal for young children, you will be able to allow them to calm down.”
“Then we hold our arms open and go, ‘I’m here. I’m here if you need me.’ And if they don’t want the hug because they still feel crabby, perhaps say ‘Can I get you a drink of water?’ ”
“Our primary job is to keep them safe, to bring them down, to reassure them that our heart’s still open to them,” Maggie says.
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