Children’s tantrums are the nightmare of each parent, especially if they occur in public. Although they are some of the most unwanted episodes, they seldom occur when the child wants something, and the parent does not offer that something or when there is a situation that he / she does not know how to mitigate. In many instances, children express their strong emotions when they do not receive a toy they want on the spot or when their favorite snack falls and cannot be eaten anymore. Although these rush of blood to the head crises are not unknown to parents, they must be understood in order to be avoided.

            What does children’s rush of blood to the head mean?

The children’s rushes of blood to the head are represented by a storm of emotions such as anger, furry, disappointment or profound frustration, that are normally expressed by means of: crying, screaming, biting, kicking the parent, throwing things, breath-stopping or the child kicking his own body.

It is important to retain the fact that the effective management of the situation does not mean the immediate fulfilment of the child’s wishes. More than that, when parents give up in front of such behavior, the child takes over the strategy that worked in the past and applies it any time when he/she wants something immediately and does not receive a positive answer.

            The first step in the effective management of rush of blood to the head crises is understanding these crises

Using the crises to obtain the desired object in young children does not imply the desire to manipulate, but a manifestation of frustration. In case of older children, this is an active learning method, that they could change into a strategy for obtaining anything they want. Once this thing understood, the parent has the responsibility to help the child to give up such manifestations and select more reasonable manners to manage a conflictual situation, such as compromising or achievement of parents’ expectations in view of a reward.  

            How could rush of blood to the head crises be avoided?

Some children have a more impulsive temper than others and could reach an intense state of nervousness in just a few moments. There are a series of measures that could be taken in order to prevent the occurrence of such rush of blood to the head crises:

1.      Selection of a routine from which no deviations could be accepted, so that the child knows what to expect

2.      Encouraging the use of words or signs by means of which the child would express what he/she wants

3.      Introducing the child in decision making process and providing options

4.      Preparation with toys prior to leaving, that would distract de child and defining a shopping timeframe in which the child is not tired or hungry

5.      Encouragement and display of positive feelings for desirable behaviors

How could rush of blood to the head crises be mitigated?

Although all measures to prevent the rush of blood to the head crises are taken, sometimes these crises cannot be avoided. In such cases some steps are recommended that the parent should undertake:

         Maintaining a calm state or displaying such a calm state

         Consistency in measures undertaken

         Acceptance of child’s strong feelings through empathy

         Granting the necessary time so that the youngster would calm by himself

         Intervention when the case may be

Along with growing mature, the children develop more control and become more rational, but the manner in which different situations and states though which they pass from an early age are managed, shall be reflected subsequently also in the manner in which the children shall react when they grows older. As such, adopting an adequate behavior is important starting from the first months of life.