Parenting Tips: 8 effective tips to deal with an angry child

Humans get angry when they are afraid, worried, disappointed or in grief. We tend to show our feelings through anger sometimes. If the situation gets too out of hand, we lash out at somebody. It's human nature to attack when they feel threatened. The same goes for children. While kids don’t understand so many emotions, but for them, a small disappointment can mean a big loss. Yelling and tantrums are typical behaviours of a quick-to-anger kid. But some children don’t show anger, they hold their feelings inside and don’t release their anger, which can be dangerous.

According to the Child Mind Institute, showing frequent meltdowns or displaying anger can pose a serious risk to the child and others around them, including parents and siblings. Getting angry frequently is often a sign of distress in a kid. A distressed child finds it difficult to control his or her behaviour, which can be stressful for parents. It is important to deal with an angry kid with care and patience.

Here is how you can manage an angry child in a better way.

1. Stay calm

No matter how loud your kid yells, do not react with an angry outburst. When dealing with a raging child, it is easy to feel out of control but shouting at your child will not help you solve the problem. Handling your child calmly will help you reach out to your kid and model good behaviour as well.

2. Talk to them

Once you and your kid are calm, talk to him or her about how the behaviour is not appropriate in an assertive yet nonconfrontational way. Don’t try to reason with them as children don’t understand reason like adults do. Try to convey the message without being too harsh or trying to control them.

3. Don’t hit them

Hitting your child is never an answer to calm them down. Every time you hit your child to correct their behaviour, you’re teaching your child to solve problems with a physical outburst. It is understandable how you can lose control sometimes and hit them. In case you do, apologize!

4. Try healthy distractions

Trying a new and a different approach to deal with your kid is not a bad idea. Do not bribe kid with chocolate, but try to distract by teaching them other ways to respond to things.

5. Set some house rules

Kids don’t realize how important an item in the house is when they break it. It is a parent’s responsibility to either hide the items from them or reprimand them immediately if they do something wrong. You should also lay some ground rules to allow them to understand what might get them into trouble.

6. Teach them to solve things verbally

An aggressive kid will break or throw things or hit their sibling. In such a case, you can teach them how to say ‘no’ firmly, instead of using physical violence as a method to resolve things. This will help them behave in a more civilized way.

7. Praise your child for appropriate behaviour

When you teach your child the right way to respond and if they follow the instructions, praise them. Appreciate them for behaving in a good way or you catch them being kind and gentle towards others.

8. Take a break

In your presence, your angry kid might throw more tantrums than they were when you were not there. What you can do is walk away from the situation for a while and come back and interact with your child when you both calm down.

9. Takeaway

Disciplining a child is not an easy task, and definitely not something you can do in a day’s time. It will take time to inculcate good behaviour in a kid, especially a hot-headed kid. The most important thing you can do when trying to manage an angry kid is to stay calm and talk to them about their bad behaviour. It might not be easy, but it isn’t impossible.

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