Take a deep breath and count to 10 to cope with kids' tantrums

We all want to be patient parents, but how can we cope with tantrums without losing our cool?

It is not easy to be patient as a parent when your child is throwing a tantrum. Picture: iStock

SEVERAL years ago, Andrea Mara set herself a challenge. The mother-of-three decided that, no matter what, she wasn’t going to shout at her children. And she stayed true to her vow, even in the dark days of lockdown earlier this year.

Andrea is quick to point out that she’s no saint, but an article she had read about how frightening shouting can be to children had a profound effect on her. At first, she thought: “Oh for goodness sake, everybody shouts at their children.” And then she decided that she’d try it.