Screaming Child Never Stops!

Hi my name is A. and i am also a stay at home mom. My 5 year old just started the major fit throwing, but i think it is due to losing his grandpa recently. Maybe they are acting out for some reson that you may have not realized. I have been going through that with my 14 year old since she was about 3 and she still does it, but they have diagnosed her with bipolar and adhd. I am not saying that is the case , but maybe you should talk to your doctor and see if it may be health related. Good luck and you can always message me if i can help. A.

Hi J., have you tried implementing time out with your kids? Let them know that you will not put up with their behavior. Consistency is key. An excellent book to read is "The Discipline Book" by Dr. Sears. He teaches effective discipline while being compassionate at the same time. It has really helped me. Best of luck to you and your family.

I also recommend Dr. Sears.

I have found that to control my kids, I must remain calm. If we are, say, at a resturaunt, and my 2-year-old starts a tantrum, a will very quietly and calmly pick him up, carry him outside, take him to the car, and strap him into his car seat for Time-Out. Time-Out ends when he is calm and quiet. There's no talking until then. Once he is quiet, I'll ask him what his problem was, then explain why he can't have what he wants. On a few rare occasions, he actually had a good reason for crying, and we solved our problem quietly and effectively after getting him calm and talking it out.

So my advice is to stay quiet and calm. Put 'em in Time-Out until they are calm enough to rationalize with and don't talk to them while Time-Out is ongoing. Once they settle down, then you can explain your position. If they can't accept it and start to scream again, the whole thing starts over - they go right back into Time-Out.

This has worked really well for me and my kids. It's very rare for me to have to deal with tantrums anymore, because my kids know that tantrums don't work. They have to be calm and rational to get what they want, or if they simply cannot have what they want, they know that a tantrum will just get them Time-Out; it won't change my mind or fluster me. They also feel like the system is fair. Yesterday, after getting in trouble and having it resolved, my two-year-old told me "I'm proud of you". It was so cute!

Hi J.,
I have 2 children. My daughter is almost 21 and my son is 13. My daughter was really not a problem when it came to fit throwing. My son on the other hand, like you said OMG! Someone recomended the book 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. to me and I have read it and used it with my son and it works. I only wish that I would have known about it when he was little. He's not so much a fit thrower anymore but he is pretty defiant. This book has helped. I bought it at the book store in the mall in Wichita Falls. I think it cost about about 15 dollars but it has been worth more than that.
It's hard at first when you are teaching them how things are going to be, but if you stick with it things will get better.
I hope this helps you.
Good Luck,
M.

My son does the same thing. He use to be alot worse. What I did was at first i ended up doing was putting my foot down. When they start screaming put them away from the rest of the family let them scream in thier room. after about 3 min(for the three yr old) and 2 min )for the two yr old. go in the room and explain to them that is not helping them to scream and that they will be put in thier room everytime they start. be clam through it all or this tecnic is not going to work and be firm don't give in or they will know to keep doing it. My son went from screaming evrytime I said no to wining then he finally stopped doing it all together. but it takes about 4 weeks to get them to stop just be clam and be firm it's hard but worth it.
M. (a single mom with no help)

If Dr. Sears doesn't do it for you you might try nogreaterjoy.com

I love them. A little harsher, I think, than Dr. Sears - but I don't really want to spend an hour rationalizing with a toddler as to why he should do what I tell him to do.