Kids and meltdowns are like bees and honey. Or popcorn and movies. Or Spongebob and Patrick. They go together and you don’t get one without the other.
And every parent’s greatest dilemma is how to deal with those meltdowns. Should you cave and give them whatever they want for a get-out-of-jail-free-pass or stand your ground and brace yourself for the toddler apocalypse?
Giving in to their demands can be a quick solution but when the demand is for blueberries handpicked from a pack of Post’s Blueberry Morning (without that speck of cereal, mom) and arranged in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head, the meltdown seems like the lesser of two evils.
Still, it’s often a tough call.
Here’s a chart to help you deal with meltdowns more effectively (click to enlarge).
8 Comments
This is genius Daphne! If I was put in the ‘blueberry in the shape of mickey’ situation you can be sure I will definitely get to level 4. My 11 month old is alr between level 2 and 3! *gasp*
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I know!! It still amazes me how kids are so creative with their demands. Haha you’ll have so much fun by the time your girl starts talking.
i like the level 4 solution …. kekeke
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Me too! Sometimes i wish I can go straight to the level 4 solution, but like that too evil. Must at least give them a chance to come to their senses.
Hi there.. Greetings from KL…I came across your blog from another website.. Love it so much then I started from the first entry in 2009 =)Really enjoyed myself… I’m 1st time mother with a 6 month old baby gal…Kirsten is so adorable.. Keep up the good work =)
PS: Just voted for you in the Singapore Blog Awards ;)
Hi Ally, thanks a million! Glad that you like it, I’m so touched that you read all the way back to the first post, you should like get an award or something. I hope you had some nice coffee while you read at least. =)
Naaaais! Well regardless the path, the CONCLUSION’s the important part, eh? But wait… you forgot the public meltdown part? :P
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Oh my, I have a toddler and I can totally relate to this! He has tantrums over all kinds of things. He used to throw fits over not wanting his teeth brushed, but that is non-negotiable, plus we’ve made it more fun for him (choosing his own tooth brush, fun song, games) and things are a lot better. Plus, I found some good tips and info on this Mom’s Guide if you want to check it out. For us, we try to approach our kids’ meltdowns with compassion, but also with the expectation that if it’s a health or safety issue they need to comply.