An excerpt on Temper Tantrum

Something to ponder upon on, which I strongly hope would work on Shawn...An excerpt from a parent's writeup :

"So What Do You Do About Temper Tantrums?"

The following is my very own personal parental opinion regarding temper tantrums - I don't know! If you are asking about what to do when you are "in the moment" of a tantrum, I don't have an answer. I have heard rumors that rolling a child up in a big heavy mat and sitting on them a couple of hours works. But I would not do that to anyone's child, including my own. However, I do know what does NOT work.....

Getting emotional about a tantrum does not work. I have found that the more worked up and excited that I become, the worse the tantrum becomes.

Spanking, yelling, arguing, pleading, begging, reasoning, etc.,etc.,etc., does not work.

Bear hugs and holding does not work. This usually only results in wrestling matches that the World Wrestling Federation would be proud of, not to mention black eyes and split lips (have you ever been head-butted by a two year old!?! - it HURTS!!!!)

If someone out there comes up with "temper tantrum recipe" that works for every child in every situation please email me at once so that I can pass this information on to every parent of every child who has had a temper tantrum!

The best thing that I have found to do when Christopher has a temper tantrum is to remain calm, stand back, and let him kick and scream until the tantrum is over. I count to 100, recite the 23rd Psalm, or whatever it takes, but I basically wait it out until the storm passes. That may not be a "good enough" answer for some people, but it will have to do.