Tyrant Toddler
The tyrant toddler can be a challenging phase for both children and parents. These toddlers are fiercely independent, and need their parents to understand them, as well as love and support them. Navigating this stage requires awareness of your own nervous systems patterns, curiosity about what your child is communicating and gentle compassion for your child and yourself.
Toddler Behavior - What to do instead of distraction
I find that use of distraction with toddlers can lead to more frustration and tantrums overall.
We distract kids from showing emotion, usually what we define as a bad emotion, to make ourselves feel better. To save time, to alleviate a situation in public that can be embarrassing. What we are really doing is teaching kids to shut down their feelings and their needs, and pretend to be happy. While I truly believe that each parent has to do what is best for them in each situation, this conversation is looking at the bigger picture of the coping techniques we use with children.
Toddlers, Trust and Teens
I believe how we interact with toddlers is how they will act with others when they begin puberty and in their teens.
If we practice awareness with toddlers we can create an effective foundation for puberty and teen years. We have to teach them that they can trust us, without distraction or putting off, or hiding our emotions from them. One of the biggest issues teens have is that they can’t trust their parents to understand or not get mad, they have lost trust with their parents.