How to Manage My Child's Frustration
How to Manage My Child's Frustration
Helping Kids Deal with Frustration
In this newsletter, we provide you with notes on How to Manage My Child's Frustration During Tasks, an episode of The PedsDocTalk Podcast.
Hosted by Dr. Mona Amin, a pediatrician, mom, and creator of The New Mom’s Survival Guide. In this episode, she is joined by Chelsea, a parent of a two-year-old boy.
Read our notes below.
Topics Covered in this Summary
What is Frustration Tolerance?
Why Frustration Can Be Huge for a Child’s Cognitive Development
Managing the Moments of Frustration
What is Frustration Tolerance?
Frustration tolerance is the ability to work through a problem, breathe, and figure out a solution. Teaching our kids that frustration is one of our many human feelings and normal emotions just like sadness, fear, joy, or happiness.
You're not alone when you have a child who gets really frustrated when they can't figure things out or don't get what they want. As parents, our role is to teach children what these feelings mean and help them cope.
This skill is one your kids will need for the rest of their lives. From peer interaction to work problem-solving, it is about more than just throwing toys.
Building frustration tolerance in children is a great way to help them develop emotionally and save your sanity at the same time.
Why Frustration Can Be Huge for a Child’s Cognitive Development
Our children dealing with difficult feelings is a way to help them develop the capability to observe themselves while they’re in the midst of experiencing the feeling. It will help them make conscious choices about their behavior and the ways they express their feelings.
When they are frustrated, it is a learning opportunity if we can stay calm in those moments and teach them.
Managing the Moments of Frustration
An important tip when we talk about frustration management is really checking in with ourselves on how we as adults manage frustration as well.
Remember that a frustrated kid will model how you as a parent cope with frustration. They learn everything from us, especially in regard to dealing with big feelings.
When kids are frustrated, give them some space to figure it out. If they can’t, ask them if they need help. But first, before we physically intervene, see if you can verbally intervene.
You may calmly ask them questions or use phrases such as:
Do you need me to help you?
How do you want me to help you?
Let me walk you through it. (Not putting our hands on it, but just being present while they figure it out).
I think you can figure it out, and if you can't figure it out, I'm here to help you.
That’s how you can gauge what they need. Always give them their autonomy first because that gives us an opportunity to see what they can do.
Useful Links
Follow All Star Parent on Facebook
Follow All Star Parent on Instagram
Follow All Star Parent on Twitter
Listen to the original episode