Tweens and teenagers have their moments and they can, in some ways, be a lot harder to deal with than younger kids.
Many of us assume that tantrums and anger outbursts are for toddlers and young children who don't yet understand their emotions!
However, these outbursts are not just for those in the terrible twos, unfortunately. Tweens and teenagers also have their moments and they can, in some ways, be a lot harder to deal with than younger kids.
We recently had a question sent in from one of our readers – a parent who was concerned about their 11-year-old son’s anger issues.
He would, according to the post, lash out and lose control if something didn’t go his way.
It would take a good ten minutes for him to settle down and in that time he would be roaring and screaming.
We shared the question on our Facebook page, where we allowed our readers to give their own advice as to what this parent should do.
From limiting electronics to visiting your local health nurse, the advice was plentiful and incredibly helpful.
You’ll find their advice below:
- Limit electronics to a half hour a day. Get him out walking/hiking/cycling/boxing.
- Exercise is a must for this age but hunger can make them hangry so have healthy snacks available. Sugar can be a cause of mood swings so monitor intake.
- Make sure they have plenty of activities, like sports or a hobby of some kind. This will help them focus and mix with lots of people.
- Go to your public health nurse. Express your concerns and ask can she put you through for assessment. You will be contacted asked a load of questions and their decision to put him forward for assessment will be decided. If it's not required you know you can manage this yourself and if it is needed it's a great way of beginning to find your way.
- You can help him take a deep breath and talk to him about things he would like to do. A parenting course might be a good idea and it can show you ways to get through it.
- Make sure he does sports. My son is the same age and can have an attitude. He is in a football club three times a week which helps him chill but we do argue on how to get off the PS4.
If you have a question that you would like our readers to answer, simply send us a message via Facebook.
