Dear Miss Behavior

Hi, Part of that answer is in your question. Each time you allow your child to tantrum for that long and then intervene or “give in” you are letting them know that the next time if they tend to them a little bit longer you may give in and that is just enough for some kids to continue to tantrum. The best strategy for dealing with tantrums is stopping it before it starts. So, if you know something that will be a trigger for your child, attempt to ease them into it. If it's not wanting to clean up, not wanting to stop an activity, being told “no”, etc. Knowing what might happen could help prevent it from ever starting. Of course, your child needs to be told they cannot do something, but if they can be told it in a positive fashion and save the “no” for emergencies. * Rather than saying “no, you can't have that.” Try, “Let's put that up and get something else.” It will direct them to another thought and can be a nice distraction. *an emergency may include an act of aggression like biting or hitting a child running toward the street. A child climbing somewhere high enough to fall off and be injured.

HI, That is a great question. And so important for our current times. Just the fact that you are asking is good assurance that you are trying to be an awesome parent. There are a few things that are essential to raising a kind, empathetic child, and typically, those children do not bully others. Having your own zero tolerance policy at home is extremely important. Rules like: We never make fun of anyone. We empathize with people's hurts, and we try to check in with those individuals who might be feeling isolated and show kindness to someone who may not always feel like they are a part of the group or maybe never! When people feel included and feel like they matter you are changing the life of that child or individual. Remind your child that making someone else feel bad to make yourself feel good is never appropriate and that can come back to them in other ways. Our children learn to be kind and helpful and look for the good in others. They can teach others to do the same!