Every parent has dealt with their child's tantrum. It’s never easy to deal with - most times, you're not sure how. We talked to Thomas Hobson, director of the Child Life Department at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Here’s what he had to say.

“It doesn’t matter where it happens or whether there’s build up to it or not, a child’s temper tantrum is a thing of parents’ nightmares. They can be embarrassing. They can be frustrating. They can (and will) test your patience.

During the big blow out temper tantrums, it is tough to keep your composure and not get sucked into your child’s whirlwind of emotion. You find yourself being pulled in, and before long, the whole situation is a screaming match. Each side continues to escalate until it’s nothing but chaos.

How do I know all of this? Well, my confession is that despite all of my “kid smarts”, I’ve been pulled into these same situations. Then again, haven’t we all been roped into our children’s temper tantrums. Here are a few tips to help keep you cool when your child is losing it:

• Watch with an outsider’s eyes: When you are watching someone else’s child throw a tantrum, do you get mad? No, you usually feel bad for the parent, and that’s about it. Learn to give yourself the leeway and to remember that you’re the one in charge.
• Don't yell: It is a normal gut reaction to want to yell in these situations. However, think about what happens when someone yells at you. Typically, we go on the defensive and get ready to yell back. This will only cause your child to dig their heels in and fight harder.
• Know when to walk away: After watching a tantrum, even if you’re calm, there comes a point when you know you are going to lose it. Learn to watch for your own cues, and walk away until you cool down. Make sure your child is in a safe place, and simply step into the other room.
• Don’t use sarcasm: Young children simply don’t understand sarcasm. It only serves to confuse them. However, they will figure out that you’re making fun of them, and that will be hurtful.
• Break the cycle: Sometimes, children get so wrapped up in their fit that even if they want to stop, they don’t know how to do it. Instead, they just keep going on with it. Introduce something new that they’ll be interested in. Then, when everyone is calm, you can go back and talk about everything. During a recent tantrum, I told my child that I wanted to show them a new game I had on my phone. The tantrum, which had been going on for 30 minutes, stopped immediately. After a few minutes, we came back and talked about it.”
  

Jenny Shelton is manager of Child Life at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. She gives parents some helpful advice for spring break, which many of us have on our calendars this time of year.

Spring break is a great time for families to re-connect and spend quality time together before the summer months arrive.  One piece of advice that I would give families during the week of spring break is to attempt to maintain normal routines, so going back to school the follow week is less stressful.

For families that will be spending the week together, I would recommend exploring local events outside of the home such as library reading times, an IMAX theater or a children’s museum and having arts/crafts activities.  Michaels & Hobby Lobby have great kits that the children can work with. 

Since spring in the air, it’s also a great time to build a bird house or plant flowers together outside.  If you and your children cannot be together during the day, I would recommend having several activities set out each day for them to do and then plan together time in the evening like cooking dinner together or going to a local event. 

Kids and school are in full swing. Along with homework, sports activities and social commitments, parents also need to pay attention to is whether or not their child likes going to school. If your child seems anxious or afraid of school, then you might need to have a conversation with your child, school staff and teachers.

According to statistics, bullying is a common problem among children beginning as early as the age of 5. Bullying among children is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power of strength. Typically, it’s repeated over time.

Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying); intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying); sending insulting messages by phone or e-mail (cyberbullying). Many children, particularly boys and older children, do not tell their parents or adults at school about being bullied.

Some warning signs of bullying could include:
• Unexplained cuts, bruises or scratches;
• Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, or taking part in organized activities with peers;
• Sudden loss of interest in school or poor performance;
• Appears anxious and suffers from low self-esteem;

If your child shows any of these signs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is being bullied, but it is worth exploring. You should talk to your child and with the staff at school.

Some subtle questions worth asking your child if you have concerns are:
• “Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?”
• “Who do you sit with at lunch or play with on the playground?”
• “Are there any kids at school who you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?”

The main thing to consider is to keep the lines of communication open with your child. Simply talking to them usually will produce good information for you to work from.

This information was taken from www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov