Are Tantrums a Sign of Mental Health Problems?

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

I read a study this morning that has me feeling a little panicked concerned. In a nutshell, the findings indicate that a temper tantrum from time to time isn’t anything to worry about, but daily tantrums may signal behavioral issues.

My 2-year-old has little fits all the time at home–although never at school (mysteriously? magically?)–so does this mean we’re doomed during his tween and teen years?

Before I go off the deep end, there are a few things that don’t apply to my situation. Parents of 2-year-olds weren’t part of the survey (only parents with children ages 3 to 5 were included). And researchers don’t define what they mean by tantrum, or, if they do, it’s not mentioned in this report.

Is a tantrum a full-blown meltdown where the kid is on the floor screaming? If so, we’re in the clear. Or is it a kid stomping his little feet and whining for a few seconds while he’s waiting for us to refill his sippy cup or hand over the remote? If that’s the case, we’re in trouble.

Thoughts?

Photo: Child crying via Irina Rogova/Shutterstock.com

Meow Mix Commercial: Best Temper Tantrum Cure Ever

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

There’s no question about it, the terrible twos are upon us, even though Mason doesn’t actually turn 2 until Sunday. He had a meltdown this morning because I changed the channel from NY1, a local news show here in NYC, to the Today Show. I needed to watch a segment for work. But Mason prefers the jingles on NY1, and he totally fell apart.

He threw his baba down–yes, I have failed to get him off the bottle and it’s going to rough when the doctor tells us to go cold turkey with it at his next check-up. He buried his little face in pillows. And he screamed and screamed and screamed. I sipped by coffee and tried to stay calm. Chris smirked.

Then this Meow Mix commercial (below) came on and the room got silent. Mason was mesmerized, dazzled, by the singing cats. His tears dried up faster than I can snap my fingers. Guess we know what to DVR (and play) the next time Bug has a fit.

What surprising thing cures your kid’s meltdowns?