My child is so angry!

Anger is a normal emotion to go through, especially as a child and especially boys aged about 7 or 8. But when you are a child or a parent watching your child lash out when they are angry – it can be hard for everyone involved.

Children share the same emotions as adults but do not know how to control their anger. They need direction and some need it much more than others. Angry outbursts are OK if they are not physically hurting you or any other person – if this happens, it is probably time to seek professional help.

Here are some tips to help your child deal with their anger.

1. Remain calm

Anger is a big emotion. It is big for us as well as our children and it might take all your energy to do remain calm, but if you can during your child’s angry outburst, it is worth it. Once they have ‘flipped their lid’, there is nothing you can do so it is best to stop talking, make sure there is no danger and ride out the storm. Once they have finished the outburst – it is then time to teach them about emotions.

I have three children and so I know it is not possible as a parent to remain calm ALL of the time. I always say to my kids if we do things MOST of the time – then we are doing well. I know if I am tired and had a big week and my children are then angry, I will probably be angry back and it takes a whole lot longer for us all to get over it. But if I am the adult, stay calm and ride it out – it is over more quickly and we are all hugging again in no time.

2. Teach your child emotional intelligence

Teaching your child to react to emotions is probably the most important skill you can teach your children. There are many ways to do this. This is the method I use for the children I teach at school, for my own children and I have shared it with many mums.

You can not use this during angry outbursts, only some time after when it has all calmed down. Possibly in your quiet time with your child.

Draw up a table with 3 columns. In the first column, workshop with your child the ‘red’ emotions. That is all the emotions that make your child feel ‘bad’. For example, sad, upset, angry, disappointed, tired, worried ect.

In the second column workshop ‘green’ emotions or the things that make your child feel ‘good’. For example, happy, energized, pleased, loved ect.

In the last column, list 5 things your child can do to move their emotions from the ‘red’ column to the ‘green’ column. This might be things like – read a book with mummy, play the computer for 10 minutes, go for a walk around the block with the dog, play lego on my own, have a bath, go to the park.

Then when your child is angry, you can refer to their Red/Green chart. Get them to tell you what red feeling they have right now. Get them to tell you which green feeling they want right now. Ask them how they are going to get from the red to the green.

Ideally, this will help your child self regulate their own emotions. Especially something as big as anger. This whole process will take time and probably a lot of it – but it is worth it.

3. Be a role model

Children are like sponges and watch everything you do. If you yell and kick things when you are angry – it is almost guaranteed they will. If they see you loose your cool and not deal with it in a way you want them to, they will copy. If you are angry and you talk through it – tell your kids you are angry because of (what ever it is) and you are going to deal with it by walking around the block – they will know that it is normal to be angry and put their own strategies in place to deal with it.

This also ties into Tip 1. If I am calm when my child is angry, I am being the adult in the situation and not loosing my cool. If I do, then they see it is fine to do because I am the role model.

4. Know your child’s emotional intelligence and react accordingly

As a mum, we know our children the best. We know what sets them off and while we can not avoid it every time – try not to put them in a situation where you know they will be angry. My son is terrible when he goes to bed late. Last week, we were away and he went to bed after 9pm three night running. By the fourth day, he was tired and cranky and the smallest things set him off. I knew he was tired so on the fourth night, I put him to bed at 7.30pm – there was some resistance as we were staying at his cousins place and they were all still up. But I knew him and I knew his limits of being tired and acted accordingly.

It is important for you to respond to the needs of your child in this situation and know what their triggers are. Another trigger for us is the last day of the school holidays. We have spent enough time together and everyone is ready to get back to their routines – and so there is often angry outbursts. I know they will happen and I am prepared for what will ensue.

5. Reassure your child

Anger is a big emotion and children are often scared by it. They react without thinking and during or after an angry outburst they can feel embarrassed and upset. You need to reassure them that being angry is OK and turn it into a lesson. Remind them from Step 3 of what they can do to stop feeling angry.

6. Be consistent

If your child is having angry outbursts, you need to be consistent and start as you mean to go on. So, if your child is having an angry outburst and you can stop it with a cuddle – do it. If they don’t want to be touched, maybe you need to walk away or speak to them in a calm voice. If you loose your cool once, then cuddle them the next time, then yell the next time, then walk away the next time – you can see how this will give the wrong message. As their mum, you will know the best way to reassure your child and then be consistent with it.

These six tips will help with other emotions as well. You can use them with any of the ‘red’ emotions.

Kids are often angry when they get in the car from school and I saw this piece from Early childhood advocate, parent educator and author, Maggie Dent. Watch it here. It describes the pressure cooker that school is and the safety net the car is. I couldn’t agree with her more! My almost 8-year-old boy is right at this stage now – he is a complete angel at school and when he gets in the car, he looses it. But that is OK. I am his safe haven and happy to be that.

What do you do when your child gets angry?

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About the Author: Anna Partridge

Anna Partridge is mum to three beautiful, highly spirited children aged 9, 8 and 5. She created BombardedMum to share inspirations and joys about raising the next generation and to allow mums to think about the ‘big picture’ of parenting and instilling the right habits, values and beliefs in their children from the start.

Anna is a Parent Educator, holds a Bachelor of Education (Primary), a Bachelor of Communications and is a freelance parenting writer. She is privileged to work alongside families to create calm and balance, help raise confident and resilience kids and maintain strong and connected relationships. Anna offers private parenting and family coaching at www.annapartridge.com.