Henry sometimes throws tantrums (don't we all). He can get rather loud and a bit violent.
His fits had been decreasing in frequency but have been almost daily since Christmas. Here are some of my super clever, highly researched tantrum defeating and prevention methods I have tried over the years*:
- Yelling back
- Time outs
- Dragging him by his feet to his room
- Threatening to take away toys
- Taking away toys
- Throwing toys in the garbage
- Realizing I was being childish and removing toys from the garbage
- Standing silently in a coil of my own barely contained rage waiting for him to unwind
- Leaving him on the side of the road
- Wrestling him to the ground and pinning all of his limbs
In case anyone reading is in a position to benefit from my experience, let me save you some time: none of these methods were effective.
Anyway, I have been attempting a more prayerful, thoughtful approach. Since anger hasn't worked, why not try kindness, I thought? It couldn't be any worse and at least then I'm not angry. This led me the other day to a tantrum-following quiet conversation with Henry that went something like this:
Will I have a bed in Manila?
Yes. Of course.
The same bed?
No, different bed, but the same sheets and pillow.
Oh. Can I bring my stuffed animals to Manila?
Of course.
Oh. Can I pack them now so I don't forget?
Sure.
I already packed all my action figures, so I don't forget. There in this box.
 |
| And here we are at the Reichstag in Berlin |
* Katie wanted me to add that these include exaggeration for effect
No comments:
Post a Comment