Oh my gosh! She is my third child and I've never had to deal with this type of behavior before. It was a scene from Nanny 911 where my child was a she-devil. First of all, at 3 1/2, she is not always napping in the afternoon. Today there was no nap because she was with grandma. Tonight when it was time for bed, she turned into something I never saw before. Screaming and kicking, she fought every inch of the way to her bed. Then wouldn't stay in her bed. I didn't know how to handle this. Part of me wanted to yell at her but I knew that wasn't going to help matters. I basically just kept putting her back into her bed, telling her this behavior was not tolerable, then letting her have her fit in her bed with the door shut. She screamed for about ten minutes before I went in and stroked her hair to calm her down. She then went to sleep. I just wasn't sure how to handle this. Did I do the right thing? Any suggestions if this happens again?
Thanks to each and every one of you for your responses. So far, she hasn't done it since. Yes, I believe she still needs that nap during the day. And yes, a bed time story and prayers do help...a little one on one time with Mommy before calling it a night! Thanks again!:)
You handled it wonderful. My daughter is 3 1/2 and does the same thing. My boys never did anything like that. I truly believe that sometimes she really needs to be calmed down. I explain to her at a later time, that when she is upset she can go in her room and cry and hit the pillow but she can't freak out. I think she is starting to get it. Good Luck It is a terrible feeling. I know
A. - It sounds like your little girl just needed some MOMMY time alone and the comfort of you with her while she fell asleep! Children can't express or tell you what they need but clearly she wanted some alone time with you and when she got it she was able to sleep! You did a great job! It will probably be the first of many tantrums but tantrums are childrens way of expressing frustration. They cannot articulate like adults can! :)
I think you did great. Everyone has a bad day, and when these little one's get overtired, it's hard for them to control themselves. You were understanding but firm. As long as you are consistent in that philosophy, I think you will prevail in the tantrum wars. Great job!
In regards to tantrums in general, We taught our son sign language from age 1. (He's almost 2) He has very little tantrums because he can communicate with us. I highly recommend to anyone who feels the frusteration with their children to the point they consider spanking, to teach them sign language first. It really does help to avoid the tantrums all together.
Sounds to me like she is over tired and needs her afternoon nap. My middle child will freak out like that when she needs to sleep but is to tired to calm herself down. I would just encourge the afternoon nap.
I would say you handled it great it sounds like she just needed to sleep but did not want to. I would make sure she got a nap. It might also have been that she was a way from mom to long.. not sure im a stay at home mom and my 3 month old has fits like that if i leave him with someone new or for to long. good luck and ill pray that it was a one time deal.
Hmmm... I'm thinking it was just lack of sleep and extra activity w/G-ma combined that pushed her to that behavior! At 3 she still doesn't have all the coping skills to deal with that!
I think you handled it just fine. If it worked, then you did fine! She may have just needed that time to vent then when you went to stroke her hair she was through venting and was ready to calm down and go to bed!
I think you handled it great. She probably just needed to get her frustrations out. So you let her do that then went to comfort her. She was probably overly tired. I definately don't think it would warrant a spanking as a previous comment suggested. That would just make her scream louder. You did fine and it will probably not reoccur very much, if at all
Good morning A.! It appears that you handled the situation very well! There are situations where discipline is necessary, but I think you are a great Mom for recognizing that your daughter was simply overtired. Walking away was the best thing you could do for both of you. You didn't give in to the tantrum, which does not encourage her to do it in the future, and you also did not give in to any negative emotions that you were feeling at the time. Great job! I know it's hard! My daughter will be 4 in January... we've been there!
As you know, sometimes us girls just need to let off a little steam and have a good cry. I am sure it is just a phase. My daughter, who just turned 4, throws tantrums every once in a while, and usually all I have to tell her is when she is done, we can discuss things. That works like a charm, I think because I am not feeding into her tantrum but sorta ignoring it. I think you handled it fine. She knows that you still love her and are there for her, but that her behavior will not be tolerated.
I think you did the right thing because you didnt yell at her but you stuck to your guns and made her go to bed. She will see that you wont give in to her and dont feel bad I feel you did the right thing. GOOD JOB!!!
I think you did everything right! My only suggestion is, don't give up or give in! Once a child sees you "softening", they will take advantage of you to the fullest of their ability! That's kids:0 My son does this crazy thing where he holds his breath until he passes out, and no worries...I checked w/ the pediatrician and this is a way of getting attention not any medical condition. He recommended that I ignore the behavior, because if I freaked out (which I did the first couple of times out of fear for my son), Dustin would see my reaction and do it more frequently! Aren't kids amazing? They really know how to work us parents, huh? This is just a stage, and one morning you will wake up to find you have your little angel back!!
I agree with all the posts except Kelly C's. I think you did an amazing job handleing the situation.I am very proud of you. You kept your cool, and soothed her when she was calm. That is exactly what should of been done. Kudos to you.
Good job Mom! I think Sybyl L put it best so no need for me to elaborate.
I know exactly what you are talking about! Most days bedtime isn't too much of a problem, but some days it takes letting my 3 yr old daughter scream it out and fall asleep on her own. My daughter still naps everyday, unless circumstances won't allow it. At 18 months old I tried letting her stay up without requiring her to nap, but she started getting physical...whenever she didn't like something or was told no she started trying to hit, ram or just scream so loud no one could hear anything but her, so I made naps mandatory. Ever since any day she doesn't nap we have a problem. All I can suggest is if it looks like it happens every time she misses a nap, I would start making them mandatory, if it is occasional, then just try to stay calm and ride out the storm. It sounds like you did the right thing under the circumstances. I hope this helps!
