Tantrums: matters of the heart

This rainy morning has us exploring from the inside. We were going to head to the gym, but there were some character issues that popped up that needed some work, so we opted to stay home and work on cultivating good attitudes.

Spending time on attitudes is so important. Sometimes it is easier to change scenery and distract them, which usually works to calm bad attitudes in toddlers. The problem is that it is only a bandaid for a deeper issue.

I have been entrusted with their hearts. It is my job to teach them to make good choices and cultivate empathy and love and have self-control over their emotions.

Toddlers have big feels, especially MY toddlers because they come from a mom who has big feels. While, having feelings is natural and normal, it is also my job to teach them that the world does not stop and cater to their emotions.

We all know those people. The people who are grown-ass adults who throw their emotions around and expect their friends, families and coworkers to pander to them. Sometimes it's easier to coddle them just so we don't have to deal with them. 

My children will not be those adults. It is in my power to help them cope with those emotions and not to give into their tantrums. Some days are harder than others, but I'll bet it's a lot easier to cope with their big feels while they are little than trying to each big kids how to manage even bigger and more complicated feels later down the road.

I love that they are getting better at communicating and using their words (a special shout out to Daniel Tiger for that one) so we can work through emotions and their solutions together. By empowering them to find a solution to whatever big feel they are experiencing, it brings them closer to being a fully functioning human. 

On an unrelated note, time to brew another pot of coffee.