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Four Tips For Handling Your Child's Anger

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Every child is going to have problems managing their anger, even if they do not have disordered thinking. In both situations, it's important to understand how to handle the anger as a parent. Here are four tips for this:

  1. ​Realize You Can't Control Your Child's Emotions: First off, you should come to the realization that you can't control your child's emotions. If your child is angry about something, it's probably for a valid reason. What you can have control over, though, is helping your child cope and handle this emotion. There are many healthy ways to express anger. If your child has a disorder, this is something that is definitely easier said than done because what works for you to control your emotions is not going to work for your child who has a much different perspective. You can learn about ways to cope with this by talking with your child's psychologist, as well as placing your child in the care of a psychologist who has experience working with kids who have the same disorder. 
  2. Be Mindful of Your Reaction: Just like you wouldn't want someone to be angry back at you when you are angry, the same goes for your child. It's best to be mindful of your reaction to their anger by being calm and informative of how they can handle it themselves. This is also going to clear your mind and help you remember what you need to tell your child to help them cope. 
  3. Don't Let the Situation Escalate: If what you are doing to help your child cope is not working, the next best thing is to give your child a break to deal with their emotions on their own. Call it a time-out or a cool down period, it's going to help ease the situation. If you are out in public, try and find a quiet place for your child to sit. 
  4. Show Compassion: Just as we do, child often feel embarrassed or ashamed of their outburst. When your child starts showing signs of this, be compassionate with them and then have a talk about how they can better handle the situation in the future. This is a learning experience and your child will grow from it with this kind of compassionate response. 

When you consider these four tips, you can work them in a way that works for you and your child. These are general guidelines that are going to help your child cope with anger. Of course, some may need to be adjusted depending on whether or not your child has a disorder, in which case, it's best to work with a child psychologist, such as from NeuroHealth Arlington Heights, on how to handle it better. 


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