Tantrums come in all shapes and sizes:
They can’t always communicate their needs and feelings, including the desire to do things for themselves, so that they might get frustrated. And they’re learning that how they behave influences others. So tantrums are one of the ways that young children express and manage feelings and try to understand or change what’s going on around them.
Children are also better able to understand that their actions have effects. For example, after your child has calmed down from their tantrum, you could explain that a natural consequence of having a tantrum is that other children might not want to play with them.
They can involve spectacular explosions of anger, frustration, and disorganized behavior – when your child ‘loses it.’ You might see screaming, stiffening limbs, an arched back, kicking, falling, flailing about, or running away. In some cases, children hold their breath, vomit, break things or hurt themselves or other people as part of a tantrum.
When things don’t go to plan, a tantrum happens. Raising children is a vital job, which all parents learn as they go. You’re doing your best, and you can’t control everything.