ONLINE PARENTING COACH

Moms and dads expect temper tantrums from a 2-year-old, but angry outbursts don't necessarily stop after the toddler years. Older children sometimes have trouble handling anger and frustration, too. Some children only lose their cool on occasion, but others seem to have a harder time when things don't go their way. Children who tend to have strong reactions by nature will need more help from moms and dads to manage their tempers. Here are 20 "temper-taming tips” for the "strong-willed" child: 1. By the time you arrive at the scene of the fight, you may be at the end of your own rope. After all, the sound of screaming is upsetting, and you may be frustrated that your children aren't sharing or trying to get along. (And you know that this toy they're fighting over is going to be lost, broken, or ignored before long anyway!). In these situations, the best thing to do is for you to maintain your own self-control intact. Teaching by example is your...

Parents are naturally a bit anxious when first leaving children without supervision, but you can feel prepared and confident with some planning and a couple of trial runs. Handled well, staying home alone can be a positive experience for children, helping them gain a sense of independence and confidence. It's obvious that a 4-year-old can't go it alone, but that a 15-year-old probably can. But what should you do about those school-aged children in between? It can be difficult to know when children are ready to handle being home alone. Ultimately, it comes down to your judgment about what your youngster is ready for. You'll want to know how your youngster feels about the idea, of course. But children often insist that they'll be fine long before moms and dads feel comfortable with it. And then there are older children who seem afraid even when you're pretty confident that they'd be just fine. So how do you know? In general, it's not a good i...

Your toddler tests your nerves because he is testing boundaries all around him. Every day, little by little, he is mastering new abilities and accomplishing new feats, and is anxious and excited to use these skills. Sometimes it's tough to reel in a toddler, but it can be done. And setting rules and limits now — when your youngster is learning what behaviors are acceptable — will help prevent bigger problems down the road. Here are some ways to help you keep your youngster on the right track: 1. If your roving toddler does head toward an unacceptable or dangerous play object, calmly say "No" and either remove your youngster from the area or distract her with another activity. It's important to not spank, hit, or slap your youngster. At this age, children are unlikely to be able to make a connection between the behavior and physical punishment. The message you send when you spank is that it's OK to hit someone when you're angry. The American Academy ...