"My child flies off the handle and I just can't control him." - Angelic Monsters

Tips for angry outbursts.

While we can teeter around our little monsters to a degree, sometimes they absolutely lose it and rage. I have seen some terrifying eruptions from little people. Throwing things, hurting others and scaring the people in the vicinity.

Anger is a really big emotion to feel. It can be quite overwhelming for big people who have had a whole lifetime to practice managing it. I have learned to channel my anger by calling a friend and (rather loudly) telling them about what is pushing my buttons. Sometimes I just scream like a mad woman in the car. I tend to become a rally driver when I’m really cross.

Anyway, kids don’t know what to do with that overwhelming surge of rage, until we teach them.

What do I think? Get a punching bag.
Teach them that anger is normal. We all get frustrated and overwhelmed sometimes. What we do with that energy is important. It isn’t okay to throw things at your mother, or scream at your teacher, or bite your friends. But it is okay to call timeout, stomp out of a room and lay into a punching bag till you get it out of your system.

 

The baby in the bathwater? Give your kids an angry space, where they can take their anger and discharge it. While you’re creating that space, perhaps you should consider making it somewhere you could blow off some steam sometimes too.