If you are a parent then chances are you know how volatile toddlers can be. One second they’re fine and the next, they’re flying off the handle.
Sure, tantrums can be irritating and in the moment we might want the tantrum to stop regardless of how but the truth is when our children throw these tantrums they’re just trying to express themselves and make known on the outside how they’re feeling on the inside. Since toddlers are so young, they’re just not quite as good at expressing this kind of thing and it just comes out as a ball of well, rage.
The way we handle these kinds of things shapes the way our kids grow and who they turn out to be. If we react to their emotions with anger and perhaps even violence, it will take a serious toll on them. That having been said, if we allow them to let this out within reason and depending on the circumstances we are able to help them learn to manage their feelings a bit better as they develop.
One of the most important tools in a parent’s life with a toddler is patience, the patience to hold space for their offspring. Some of the smallest kids can have some of the biggest emotions, and we need to keep that in mind. When your kid is screaming and flipping out don’t take it personally, he or she is doing that because right now at that age he or she doesn’t know how to handle the things going on within.
The more they let it out the better they will feel in the end, even if it drives you up a wall the first few times you give it a go. Screaming at your child will only make things worse anyway. Let your small kids be small kids, let them change their tastes daily, and mismatch their clothes a bit. They will catch up to the rest of the world when the time is right.
We all learn how to hold space for our children as they show their personalities and some might be very different from others. The more we get to know our kids the better equipped we are to help them through life. In recent times I came across a video that really got me thinking about this topic. In this video, you see a father with his toddler who is flipping out and clearly distressed but he is there for the toddler through the whole fit, showing his patient side the whole way.
If he can handle that, so can you. Holding space is different for all of us and some kids may need more than others but working on that in itself is a huge thing. To see the video mentioned above take a peek below. Props to you Dad, you’re doing great!