Temper, temper

It's MY way or the highway. Geddit?

My adorable boy has a temper, and his tantrums can get really bad when he's sleepy.

He'd scream, stamp his foot, and dash around with no care for any objects. Or if you're carrying him, he'd twist and wriggle like a snake, and arch his back (like he's going to throw himself on the floor). I nearly dropped him when he did that today.

Small things can irritate him. And because he can't verbalise his frustrations, the tantrums are his way of telling us what he wants.

This morning, it was because his cheese toast broke in half.

This evening, it was because he didn't want to bath in warm water. And, dig this, because I changed out of my work clothes to something more comfy. (Probably it meant that we weren't going out anymore. But he just came back from school!)

AND it gets funnier... there were times where he'd throw a tantrum if I changed out of a comfy T that he likes!

Once, something riled him so badly that he threw my Corning Ware bowl on the floor and it broke. I was stunned. People growing up in the 70s would know from the ads, that Corning Ware products DO NOT break. Right? Right.... As if!

So what do we do when he throws a tantrum? I'd lay him down on the floor and leave him alone. Sometimes he'd scream and kick on the spot--this is if I'm lucky. Sometimes he'd do the mad endanger-myself-so-mummy-will-feel-guilty-dash around the house.

And only when he comes running to me with silent sobs to indicate he's sorry, would I pick him up and explain why I did what I did.

I think we're disciplining him the right way. But I nearly hit the breaking point today when he threw his third tantrum. Wish he can be more mild mannered. But he's our fiery little boy; that's why we love him right?