Maybe we all should have tantrums

I had to laugh this morning, I was driving to work and they were talking about kids throwing tantrums and how parents cope with them on the radio. One mum who called in said that her 3 year old son threw an almighty tantrum at a local shopping centre. It was the throw yourself on the ground kicking and screaming sort of tantrum.

Her response was gold - she threw herself down beside him and kicked and screamed along side him. Passers-by were amused and somewhat concerned, but the best part was her son who was horrified and begged her to stop with the words 'no more mommy, please no more, I'll be good'

I wish that I had been as confident as a young mum to do the same thing. They say as a parent the best response is to ignore them, no audience then no performance. Sometimes easier said than done when you're shopping and in a hurry.

Mind you I think teenagers are still pretty good at throwing tantrums as well. It's meant to be a learning process, children get frustrated and by throwing a tantrum they learn about the process of how to calm themselves. Hmm I'm sure there are still some adults who didn't pay attention during this childhood learning process either.

In fact some days now I wish I could still throw myself on the ground and kick and scream my frustration - surely it's healthier to get it all out than to bottle it up inside. (So if by chance you see some crazy woman having a screaming tantrum on the floor - it may just be me)

We used to say that he who threw the biggest tantrum won the day.~ Neil Finn