Dealing with Temper Tantrums
By Natalie J. Hale

You see them everywhere. They attract the darting eyes of fellow customers at places like the checkout aisle at the grocery store. Difficult to ignore, they are all around us. Following us. And they come from people less than four feet tall. They sound off in the library, chapel, and take root in homes.

These creatures are otherwise known as children with temper tantrums. You probably have a child who uses them.

Tantrums are a very common problem. It is the natural man in mortals that is at the root. For, “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam.” (Mosiah 3: 19)

I have seen parents struggling with such behavior merely brush it away with the excuse that boys will be boys and they’ll grow out of it — only to wake up and find that same fit-throwing two-year-old is now fifteen and still hasn’t learned to control himself. Perhaps the methods of his tantrums are not as visual or embarrassing to the parents, but the lack of self-control is still there.

The reasons why parents don’t find out how to really solve the problem could be many things, but one to consider is that perhaps they themselves haven’t brought their own temper into submission. To start down the path of correcting the child’s behavior means introspection. Christ put but it this way to Peter when he said, “When thou art converted, strengthen they brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

And in Doctrine and Covenants 121: 42 we read that authority figures, such as parents should not have hypocrisy for guile. For the, “powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” (ibid, 36)

Common signs of tantrums are hitting, kicking, pushing, screaming, whining, sassing, and biting. The child knows if he acts this way long enough, the parent is going to give in. Lucifer tried it with Moses (See Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1), but Moses recognized this behavior as a tantrum and handled it appropriately by dismissing Lucifer in Christ’s name.

Children are not the devil and should not be dismissed, but you can and should dismiss the behavior. Tantrums can and should be appropriately stopped. And a good place to start is by not rewarding the bad behavior. Giving in may stop the fussing for now, but it teaches the child that all he needs to do to get what he wants from mom or dad is to throw a fit, especially when other adults are watching.

This month is tantrum month at enlightenedhomemaker.com. Each weekly issue of the Parenting Tip will address various elements of tantrums and what parents can do to stop them. Each issue contains a quote from a prophet and a corresponding quote from a non-prophetic, but recognized expert, in the parenting field.

The purpose is to give homemakers an added resource to encourage them in their choice to be a homemaker and prophetic and professional solutions to their parenting needs. This is not an attempt intended to otherwise to mingle philosophies of men with scripture, but rather, a source that shows where the world agrees with the Lord’s principles. Such a combination can be especially valuable if your have nonmember family or friends.

This newsletter is free and available at http://www.EnlightenedHomemaker.com