5 Easy & Effective Anger Management Tips For Parents
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You screamed at your toddler and now you are angry with yourself. Sounds familiar? You are not a bad parent if you find losing your cool when your toddler has been screaming non-stop or your infant has been up for two straight nights. What matters is to find ways to control and manage your anger and mood swings.
Anger is not bad per say, but your reaction to it can be positive or negative – and this can make a world of difference in how your angry outbursts affect your kids.
Here Are Some Simple Yet Effective Anger Management Tips For Parents Who Are New (and old!) To The World Of Parenting:
1. Understand It:
What pushes your parental buttons? What behavior of your child makes you angry? It is important to understand the cause of your anger to effectively manage it.
- Perhaps you need few minutes of quiet post work. But you reach home and find your toddler shrieking for your attention. Or, your teenager can’t wait to complain about his siblings.
- Anything could make you angry at your kids when all you want is a moment’s peace after putting in hours of work at the office. Once you know exactly how your kids may be pushing your patience and making you angry, you can do something about it. This is the best anger management techniques for parents.
[ Read: Parenting Mistakes You Should Be Aware Of ]
2. Befriend It:
So, what do you do when you have identified your parental anger trigger points? Embrace them. Yes, you read it right. Don’t fight your anger. Make it your best friends. Okay, not your best friend but a trusted pal who is trying to get your attention.
- In the above example, your anger is pointing towards your need for some alone time without which you can’t handle your parental duties after work.
- Looking at another scenario – perhaps your preschooler refuses to stay at his daycare and it messes up your schedule and makes you angry at your kid. Here your anger may simply be letting you know that your schedule is important for you and your family’s well being. So, instead of getting angry at your child and forcing him to stay at the daycare center, find out the reason for his refusal. Perhaps a daycare worker or another child at the center is bullying him or making him uncomfortable in any way.
3. Work It:
Once you have addressed the cause of your angry outbursts and understand your child’s behavior behind it, you can address it in an effective manner.
- Simply make your kids understand what you need, for instance, just a few minutes of silence. Don’t just issue a statement and run off to your room but rather explain to them the reasons for your time away from them. Or else, your kids might misunderstand your intentions and withdraw from you or continue to make the ruckus.
- Talk to your kids about their behavior that might be bothering you.
[ Read: Best Parenting Tips ]
4. Burn It:
Yes, burn your anger away. Once you know your triggers, you can find creative ways to keep anger at bay.
- So, remember to take a few deep breaths or a pause when you get the impulse to scream at your kids.
- Go for a walk and take your kids with you. This way you all can let off steam and get the time to bond.
5. Accept It:
All parents know that there is no magic wand that would make your kids understand your reasoning and refine their behavior in one purple magical poof. So, accept it as a part of your parental life.
Go easy on yourself for occasional angry bursts.
- But seek professional help if your anger begins to spiral out of control.
- Your kids will continue to do things that would make you angry. So, don’t hesitate to find ways that work with your kids and help you keep your anger in check. This strategy is one of the best anger management strategies for parents.
[ Read: Helicopter Parenting ]
How do you cope with situations that make you angry at your kids?
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