You ’ ve probably heard these messages :
• She ’ s just trying to push your buttons .
• He ’ ll see what he can get away with !
• Pick your battles !
• She ’ ll test your authority .
• He ’ ll run the house if you let him !
• If you let her by with it now , imagine how horrible she ’ ll be as a teenager .”
• You ’ d better show him who ’ s boss .
• Just ignore her and she ’ ll stop throwing a fit .
• He ’ s just trying to get attention .
These negative messages make their way into our psyches , and they cause us to look at our toddlers through a negative lens . This , in turn , causes us to misunderstand their behavior and buy in to certain myths . Here ’ s why these myths miss the mark .
Myth # 1 : Toddlers throw tantrums to be naughty .
We have been taught to believe that toddlers have tantrums in a calculative manner with the intent to manipulate us to either give them attention or give them something they want . Our response , we are told , should be to ignore the child when they tantrum so as not to reinforce such “ bad behavior ,” or to punish them to deter future tantrums .
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