You may fail to anticipate that some trifling (in an adult’s estimation) incident would trigger your child’s wrath, and he or she expresses it so as to make his anger felt to everyone around. Naturally, you are shocked. But you don’t need to be.
It is all right for anyone to be angry, is the professional opinion of Heather Shumaker expressed in her book It’s OK Not to Share. Children should be expected to react strongly to anger and frustration. What they need is to have the urge redirected into a safe channel.
Ask the kid to run around the room (or the house, or the yard) 30 (or 50) times, counting aloud. In some cases a contained space will be better. Counting will make a distraction, and the kid will get tired eventually.
Tell him to scream his anger out, as loud as he or she can, expressing it in words or just shouts, but mind to take the child to a closed area where he won’t be disturbing your neighbors or pets. It may prove a satisfactory vent for his feelings.
Offer him a large sheet of wrapping paper to tear up or to chop with the edge of the hand. He will make a lot of noise and feel powerful after a bit of destruction!
Suggest he should go out, come up to the window and make faces at you. After a while he is to run around the house and repeat the procedure. He may end up laughing soon.
A good idea is to throw something harmless, like a ball or just pieces if dirt, into a tree. He will concentrate on throwing and hitting, and it’s small worry if he gets dirty.
