Can tantrums be prevented?


It is not about your parenting skills nor will 'where have I gone wrong' mentality help because the reality is tantrums are not preventable, at least in some situations. And in situations where it can be prevented, a certain amount of preparation or prior thought and action will have to be effected to disallow a situation from blowing over. Try preventing tantrums by planning with your kids what they can expect. By repeatedly but calmly telling them on what lies ahead e.g. where they are going or what they can buy at the mall etc prepares them to not make demands and have their demands not met, and eventually prevents the so-called meltdowns.





When your out-of-control kid gets terribly upset over something like you saying 'no' to him to something he has to have, he doesn't intentionally become difficult. It is just hard for him to understand and accept the refusal at this age. There are instances where we can prevent meltdowns from boiling over and there are those times when we cannot do much but weather it.