Tantrums

I always knew that deep inside we are all capable of a tantrum if we let ourselves. Well, today the little one had her first full-fledged tantrum. Scared me to pieces. Her father tried to handle it the best way he thought, but it may not have been as effective as he hoped.

In times of crisis, such as today, I take a deep breath, pray a small prayer, and stay strong, but compassionate. Then, I read. I have always been the most at home in a library. In fact, the people close to me might say that I have turned my house into a library, but I suppose their are worse things. So today, I turned to Penelope Leach's Your Baby and Child. (She has never failed me yet.) I love this book. I bought it in my fourth month of pregnancy with the little one when my OB suggested that, as an academic person, I should focus less on the child birth classes, which he claimed come naturally, and study parenting. It was one of the best $20 I ever spent. She tells you the physical and mental needs behind eating and growing, teething, sleeping, crying, playing and so much more. And then gives practical advice that can guide a parent to handling situations positively. We have gone through some difficult times with our little one's growth and this book has never been wrong.

After reading it, I explained to my husband that we could have done better. I suggested that he read it as well. After which we both feel like we can handle the next tantrum a bit better now that we know where they are coming from. In parenting as in life, I suppose you will always make mistakes. But the hope is to learn from the mistakes and be a better person and therefore, be a better parent.