The podcast offers guidance on handling a 3-year-old's challenging behaviors like crankiness and emotional outbursts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and allowing children to express their emotions. The speaker also discusses setting boundaries with children and embracing their emotional expressions.
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Quick takeaways
Children's emotional outbursts at age 3 are natural developmental expressions, not intentional defiance.
Parents should maintain boundaries, offer understanding, and support children through emotional outbursts with patience and empathy.
Deep dives
Understanding a Three-Year-Old's Behavior
When children exhibit extreme behavioral changes, like crankiness, frustration, and emotional outbursts around the age of three, it is essential to shift perspectives and view these reactions as a natural part of development. Rather than perceiving these behaviors as intentional defiance, it is crucial to understand that young children often express their feelings through actions like yelling and changing their minds frequently. By allowing children to release their emotions without judgment or attempts to control, parents can support their emotional growth and development.
Handling Emotional Expressions
Encountering a child's crankiness, yelling, or tantrums can be challenging for parents, especially when the child exhibits resistance or acts out. In response to a child's emotional outbursts, it is vital for parents to maintain their boundaries while offering understanding and support. By recognizing that a child's expressions of frustration and defiance are natural and temporary, parents can navigate these challenging moments with patience and empathy, allowing the child to move through their emotions at their own pace.
Empowering Boundaries and Self-Expression
Establishing boundaries and fostering self-expression are key elements in responding to a child's emotional fluctuations. Parents should learn to set boundaries that prioritize both the child's autonomy and the parent's emotional well-being. Encouraging self-expression without feeling personally offended by a child's changing moods enables parents to create a supportive environment for the child to navigate their emotions and behaviors with confidence and understanding.
Janet responds to a question from a parent on her Facebook page whose 3-year-old is exhibiting what she describes as excessive emotional outbursts. “I’m trying to reassure myself that this is normal,” she writes. “It’s like we have to constantly walk on eggshells… I’d love some reassurance and guidance.”
For more advice on common parenting issues, please check out Janet's best-selling books on audio at Audible (https://adbl.co/2OBVztZ).
Her exclusive audio series "Sessions" is also available for download. This is a collection of recorded one-on-one consultations with parents discussing their most immediate and pressing concerns (www.SessionsAudio.com).
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