Tantrums - Breaking the Cycle

Tantrums don't suddenly appear. They are learned. Controlling or eliminating tantrums is not complicated, but it is hard work. It will be easier if you keep one simple premise in mind: Tantrums aren't personal. Toddlers and pre-school children don't throw tantrums because they want to be naughty. They don't scream and yell because they want to hurt you. Children throw tantrums because they work. It is your job to make tantrums fail. "Can I have a lollipop?" This sentence has the power to invoke a racing heart and sweating palms in many parents. The answer is no. The child raises her voice. The answer is still no. The child drops to the floor. The answer turns into a discussion and the child's voice increases in volume. The tears flow, the shrieks begin and, after a few parental self-conscious glances at near by shoppers