Dear Julianne’s Joy,
How do you deal with temper
tantrums in older children?
- Tantrums
Dear Tantrums,
Young children have
tantrums when their emotions
swing out of control and they
don’t have the words to verbalize
what they are feeling. In older
children, tantrums are a habit.
The relationship between you
and your child is paramount.
Everything happens in the context
of relationship. Does your child
know that you can be trusted?
Does he or she feel safe to express
any emotion and have it treated
with respect and dignity, instead
of minimizing it or saying, “Don’t
be silly” when to your child the
issue is important and serious?
Seek first to understand and
approve of your child’s feelings.
Emotions are neither bad nor
good; they are a dashboard
warning system. If your child can
talk with you about anything at all,
and walk away feeling heard and
cared for, tantrums will be a thing
of the past.
- Love, Julianne
Dear Julianne’s Joy,
I’ve been happily married for
17 years but whenever we go on a
date night, his girlfriend (AKA his
iPhone) joins us. He checks it
when we are at dinner or a movie.
How can I help him realize how
infuriating it is that our one-onone time is never really just the
two of us?
- Jealous of an iPhone
Dear Jealous,
What you have described is
all too common in today’s
relationships. Bring a huge book
with you on your next dinner date.
As soon as the iPhone makes an
appearance, pull out the book and
hold it in front of your face. You
might have to repeat this a few
times for him to get the message.
In my opinion, there is no
excuse for checking your phone in
a movie theatre. The whole point