Parents who have toddlers know that temper tantrums are inevitable. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a toddler throws one tantrum a day on average. There’s no sure way to avoid them, so, the important thing is how parents choose to react to them.
Recently, one mother shared how she dealt with her daughter’s temper tantrum. When the toddler slapped her, she decided not to react while the child was dysregulated and to talk about it tomorrow. This prompted a discussion: should parents address hitting in the moment or talk about it with their toddlers once they’ve calmed down?
To get a slightly different take than the mother’s, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Willough Jenkins, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. She kindly agreed to explain why addressing a slap from a toddler right away is important and pointed out other mistakes parents can make when handling toddler aggression. Read her expert insights below!
