Joan Barnes knows the last few minutes before 4-year-old Brody’s computer time ends are the quiet before the storm.
“You can rest assured that if it’s time to get off the computer he will have a meltdown that results in him falling on the floor and saying he does not love this and I’m very ugly,” says Barnes, a North Little Rock mother of three. “He comes up with some doozies for how he expresses the way he feels.”
Temper tantrums are a normal part of everyday life for parents whose youngsters are learning the ways of the world around them. See Wednesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for tips for dealing with tantrums from parents and experts who have been there.