Children act out their feelings. This is how they communicate. They show you how they feel with their whole bodies. The message of a temper tantrum is: “I’m angry, tired, frustrated, disappointed, afraid, envious, hungry, sick, cold, upset.” Our role as parents is to read these messages and help our children to express their feelings in more appropriate ways.
But if you’re expecting your 2-year-old to say, “Mommy, I’m cross with you because I wanted to stay up later tonight,” you’re in for quite a surprise. At her age, she won’t be able to meet those high expectations.
So what can you do to understand your child’s feelings, but change her inappropriate expression of them? It’s reassuring to know there is a lot you can
