Looking for Bedtime Routines To Make Bedtime Peaceful?  It’s time for your children to get ready for bed. You say, “Time to go brush your teeth.” One whines, “But I don’t want to brush my teeth.” The other says, “I want to keep playing.” Your spouse steps in and says, “You both need to get in the bathroom and start brushing those teeth.” The children just complain and whine louder. You threaten, “If you don’t brush your teeth now, there will be no story time.” This just escalates the situation and now the complaining has turned into temper tantrums. You probably know... (Read More ...)

Is There a Drama King or Queen in Your House? How to Respond Helpfully When Handling Children’s Negative Emotions, Feelings and Temper Tantrums     Pat is what most parents would call a Drama Queen or Drama King. Whenever something happens, Pat’s reaction is always over-the-top. It’s so that Pat’s parents feel a need to calm Pat down by saying, “Come on, it’s not that bad,” or “Don’t get so upset.” Over time, they just stop paying attention at all. None of these responses really “work.” In fact, Pat seems to escalate no matter what the parents do. So Pat’s parents... (Read More ...)

  EXPERT ON CALL – HANDLING TEMPER TANTRUMS Q. I’ve read that I should ignore my child’s tantrums, but I worry that he’ll think I don’t care.  What is the best way of handling temper tantrums? A. Not all tantrums are alike. Therefore, using one approach for all tantrums is usually ineffective. You need to identify the cause of the tantrum your child is having to respond in a way that is most productive. There are four types of tantrums: Frustration tantrums. When a child is frustrated, it is reassuring for a parent to notice those feelings and the difficulty of... (Read More ...)