Good Tidings and Tantrums

So, I have a couple of kids. The youngest, of which, is 2 yrs old. The first time dealings with the terrible 2's were not so terrible.... This time, however, is suddenly becoming, er, friggin' horrible. That's it! The Friggin' Horrible 2's! It's as if Santa Clause, amongst other things, left an attitude in my child's stocking. This Christmas, we were left with many great blessings, good tidings & Temper Tantrums! Woo Hoo!

So, how does one handle said tantrums? The initial response is to calmly and lovingly talk to the screamer, "Now, I understand that you're frustrated and angry, but that does not mean you have to behave like this. You're only making things worse and yourself more upset. Calm down, everything is going to be okay. Please, STOP!"
More often than not, this does not work as the child has not stopped screaming, kicking and throwing himself about. In fact, the child can not hear your words....

Now, for the second option: Time Out. Not only does this describe a time for the tantrum thrower to continue screaming, kicking and throwing himself about in private. It also gives the recipient of the kicking & screaming a moment to reflect on just how much she loves this tantrum thrower. The amount of time needed for a person to complete his/her timeout depends. Sometimes, a child can commit such acts for up to 20 minutes! Isn't that amazing!? During these minutes, the tantrum recipient can also consider just how much effort her child is putting into his tantrum. Wow! He truly is persistant! In fact, he could very well have a bright future with a drive like that! Unfortunately, these thoughts are combined with others, most of which do NOT include the love of parenting a child suffering from the Friggin' Horrible 2's....

Oh, I almost forgot, there is an option 3! Warning: option 3 is not for the feint of heart! One could laugh at the child. Although this does not get the reaction you might want (oftentimes option 3 causes the tantrum escalate.) The only benefit of option #3 is that it can bring on a brief moment of, um, "Nanny nanny boo boo!" Yes, although immature, it does cause for some reason to rejoice. Ah, yes, a satisfactory moment of Mommy revenge and perhaps cruelty!

Anyone got an option 4? I believe, there isn't 1 right response. The only way to mend the tantrum afflicted child is to WAIT until he is old enough to discontinue the behavior. I wecome the 3's (name soon to be announced, 9/6/09)....

Good tidings, tantrums & Happy New Year to all!