I'm listening to one right now. In the last week they have begun and I didn't know a child could be so ticked about one thing for so long. I'm talkin' 40min. of screaming and frustration with NO audience. There's no pleasing, there's no reasoning with her, she simply has to scream and kick until she's done. It's almost always over not getting her way, even in the simplest of matters. I think she's even more mad at me right now because she's been hitting the kitchen table with her hands and smacking a door and I'm ignoring that, too(which I normally do NOT let her do, I tell her to hit the bed or the couch if she feels she needs to when she's mad).

My once so-called "mature" DD has turned into a giant BABY. Moms of power tantrum throwers...unite!

By Trina~moderator on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 04:53 pm:

Who else has a STELLAR tantrum thrower?

I do. My DD. Now that she's older they are fewer and more far between, thank God!

By Amecmom on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 05:37 pm:

Be proud, and pleased. they'll go away, but they are showing you that she's got a very well developed sense of self and a strong will. Ain't nobody gonna' walk all over her ...
Ame

By Vicki on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 05:48 pm:

My dd did that a few times. I told her she could be mad as she wanted, but I didn't want to see it. So she had to go to her bedroom when she threw a fit. Decided pretty quick that it wasn't much fun without a audience. I would say she had about 4 or 5 maybe and that was the end of that!!

By Cocoabutter on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 05:56 pm:

I too, tell my son, now 10, that if he is mad, he goes to his room until he is over it.

However, I suppose I could never allow him to just throw a wild fit and hit things. I understand the whole need for an audience thing, but a kid needs to learn self-control, and allowing them to throw their fits and hit things until they feel better doesn't help them to accomplish that skill and in fact may lead to more destructive behavior in the future, IMHO.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 06:47 pm:

My kids have had their share of complete meltdowns! LOL!

By Kaye on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 08:22 pm:

Been there done that! Ours started at about age 2. Yes we just had to walk out and let her do her thing. She had a bad couple of months where we tried to redirect or/restrain and it only made things worse. When she was calm we talked about how she really couldn't do that. By 2 1/2 she would hold her breath, she only passed out twice..LOL. She is now 13, mostly doesn't have tantrums now. We do get one on occasion...it is SUCH a fun personality to have!

By Dana on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 08:27 pm:

My DS can throw a good one, but thankfully, I have seen others who can do even better! Sometimes I just have to laugh. DD NEVER, NOT ONCE, had a tantrum. Day and night as the saying goes.

By Reds9298 on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 08:42 pm:

LOL Ame, I know you're right! It's not that they really make me mad necessarily, they just get old. Even older waiting for a bomb to go off some days. From what I hear, I was EXACTLY the same way as a child, so she gets it honest (once again). My oldest sister never fails to remind me of the terrible temper tantrums I had as a child. And what you said describes me - strong will and strong sense of self. They can be both good AND bad qualities!

We do send her to her room because generally I just say "Go to your room if you have to scream", but that doesn't help with her lately. Earlier on it really did. Sending her to her room would make them last about 3 min., but not anymore. With or without an audience they are the same amount of time.
Dana- Amen to the laughing. DH and I have caught ourselves laughing quite a bit lately.
Kaye-IKWYM about talks after the storm! We're really trying to discuss the issue (sharing/getting your way, those are the biggies)once she's calm again.I think she gets it afterward and hears what we are talking about, but in the moment that temper is so hard to control.
She gets it from her mother.

By Justanaunt on Monday, March 5, 2007 - 10:20 pm:

I watched my oldest niece on a regular basis up until she was four. She had her share of tantrums when she was around three or four. One I can remember in particular lasted an hour and a half. Nothing we did helped, if we tried to ignore her by leaving the room, she'd just scream louder. When she seemed to calm down a bit and we'd try talking to her, she would start back up screaming again. Nothing work for that tantrum, she just had to calm down by herself. Luckily, she didn't have any tantrums like that again, the others were pretty short lived.

By Tonya on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 - 10:27 am:

This is so Jade. We had one of those major meltdowns Monday night at bedtime it last 45 minutes. I was ready to hang and beat her but instead I sat in the livingroom and listened to her from her room. It is amazing how the smallest things can set a child off. Weird.

And again like others say she gets it honestly. From her father and I both. My mom says she sees me everytime Jade opens her mouth.

Good luck and let me know when this finally passes. I have a bad feeling I have many years left of this.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 - 11:05 am:

I have to say that I have been very fortunate with my kids.

It's actually very funny, my husband is a huge Andy Griffith fan. So the kids have grown up watching that show. Well, one episode shows Opie learning to throw a tantrum from one of his friends. He lays down on the floor and then proceeds to try to fake crying, etc.

Well, the next day after watching that episode, my then three year old son was in Wal-mart with us. He wanted a toy of some sort, in the party supply aisle. I told him "no, not today" which typically would have been end of conversation. He laid down in the floor on his back and just looked at me. He didn't know what to do next! I told him to get up out of the floor and if he ever attempted to throw another fit like that again, he would not go back to the store with me.

He stood up, and we went on with our shopping! And he never tried it again!

My kids have never thrown those fits, and I know that I am so blessed because I have certainly seen some kids with very good parents throw very good fits! LOL!

By Nicki on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 - 12:18 pm:

Adena, your post about your son had me really laughing out loud!:-) I would have had a hard time not smiling during that one!

Makes me wonder. When Lara gets really mad, she goes to all the doors in the house, even the outside doors and slams them! Dh and I honestly do not slam doors when we're angry. So we can't figure out why she has chosen this lovely habit! Now I'm thinking about the little shows she watches. Hmmmm...:-|

By Bellajoe on Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 08:03 am:

You know what my mom would say? "It's that red-headed temper"

I've been fortunate with my kids, they never really threw that bad of temper tantrums.Yes there was kicking and screaming, but it didn't go on for very long.

Speaking of tantrums. I was working at the school yesterday. Some first grader was throwing the fit of his life in the lobby! OMG! Screaming and yelling at hte principal saying "don't touch me, i hate you, my dad will kill you!" WOW! And it went on for at LEAST an hour. I felt so bad for the people in the office. I was working at the library with another mom who was just as surprised as I was. Neither of our kids had ever done that and we were just thanking God for that. I have no idea what started it and i bet by the time the kid calmed down, he didn't even know why he was so mad.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 10:19 am:

LOL Bellajoe...I've seen a LOT of tantrums like that at school, most of which were in Kindergarten but also in other grades. It's definitely a WOW when it happens.

I agree on the red-headed temper.

By Andi on Thursday, March 8, 2007 - 10:41 am:

Well Tay just threw her first one last week and boy was it a good one and over pretty much nohing. I just walked away from her and let her do her thing. It lasted about 5-10 minutes then she was done. Dylan only threw ONE tantrum when he was little and I guess I was hoping for the same with Taylor. I have a feeling she is going to throw a few more. LOL