You knew it was coming. Your toddler is about to lose it. While all youngsters are prone to having a complete meltdown at some point, not all tantrums are built the same. Just like our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder, every personality is different. So, which dynamic basketball player is your child and how do you combat their shooting style? Take a look at the breakdown below.
The Durant
Calculated and thoughtful, this is a child who knows when to strike and has likely planned it out in his head before executing. Children with this type of tantrum style will gracefully ease their way into the line of fit-throwing before looking around, weighing their options, and exploding. And unfortunately for you, they hardly ever miss their mark.
You can try to stop this type of tantrum in its tracks. As soon as signs of a fit are on the horizon (the sniffling, the whining, the sleepy-eyed acts of mini violence), get to the bottom of it. Find out as soon as you can what is wrong with your child so you can stop it before it spirals out of control. And more importantly, respect your child’s feelings. For the mini KDs, it’s all about respect.
The Westbrook
If there’s going to be a rage-filled, all-out, firestorm of a tantrum, it’s going to come from this child. This type of tantrum features a give-it-your-all approach. Children will go all-in, throwing themselves on the floor and subjecting you to their most passionate of cries.
With this type of fit, it’s best to pick your battles. You can’t win them all, and some just aren’t worth fighting. Instead of firing up your whole team to defend against this type of attack, sit on the bench and wait it out. Sure, it can be hard to sit there with your Mom jersey on and feel like you’re not playing your best, but if you can’t win, it’s not worth your energy. Let the kid get her emotions out. Sometimes we all need a good cry.
The Ibaka
An intimidating tantrum style, these type of kiddos know how to play both offense and defense. They can swat away your discipline while simultaneously taking shots at your nerves. They may even have mastered the ability to play you against your other half, a bold move.
Try establishing a positive environment early on. Hearing negative words and phrases may only trigger an attack. Instead, try to take a more positive approach by praising your child when they do something right or complimenting them on something they’ve done recently. As soon as the tantrum trigger is pulled, try using something like this: “Remember that picture you drew me the other day? The one on the fridge? I’d really like another one. Can you make one?”
The Adams
As lovable as a jokester is, they can still be hard to handle. A child with this type of tantrum style is more likely to get in trouble for playing one too many pranks or using their younger sibling as a human dummy. Watch out for foul troubles with this one, too. They may end up in time-out five times before you have to call in the big guns.
If humor is what your child craves, fight fire with fire. Crack a joke to add humor to the moment of tension. Grab a nearby stuffed animal and give it a persona, or try a silly dance to distract them from the fit they were about to throw. If you can make them think about something else, your child just may forget what they were so upset about in the first place.
Does your child have an OKC Thunder persona? Let us know in the comments section below!
