Think like a Neanderthal to curb your two-year old's tantrum

Washington, Feb 25 : Toddlers' tantrums behaviour including fist pounding, foot-stomping, and screaming are quite common and parents often find it difficult to control them. According to an expert, the only way to avert it is to think like a Neanderthal and become one with the child.

Pediatrician Harvey Karp, author of "The Happiest Toddler on the Block," and an expert in getting babies and toddlers to quiet down, claims that tantrums are an expected product of human development.

He blames the tantrum behaviour over to the communication gap and claims that the toddlers are less evolved in terms of brain and are primitive, emotion-driven and instinctive creature that has yet to develop the thinking skills that define modern humans, reports Live Science

He suggests to speak in short phrases that reflect the primitive emotions of the child ("You are angry") rather than addressing the adult modern Homo sapiens situation of the moment ("Please stop. Big girls don't scream in stores.")

The kids want to be heard and emotions acknowledged and the best way to control the tantrums is just saying, "I hear you. I feel you."

It's the job of the parents to civilize them into Homo sapiens.

ANI