You're not alone.

It's no mean feat coping with a child's many outbursts and tantrums. Remember their brains are very underdeveloped and they need to be taught how to manage their emotions.
The thing is - most of us adults weren't taught how to manage our own emotions, which means we can quickly feel triggered, out of control and snappy.

This post is about using a change of environment (going outside) as a regulation tool for both of you.
It's totally reasonable when your child is losing it to say "i can see you're frustrated. i need to take a little break, I'm just going to step outside but I'm still here for you and I'll come back". Knowing when to step away and settle YOURSELF down can make the difference if you don't want to lose your cool with your kid.

Taking that strategy one step further - invite your child out with you. "I think we need to calm our bodies - let's step outside". The fresh air and change of scenery can be such a game changer. You can model taking some deep breaths. You can model shaking your body out. You can talk out loud about how you're feeling: "Wow I was starting to feel really frustrated, stepping outside has helped me to cool off. Sometimes we just need some deep breaths outside.".

NOT ONLY will this help in the moment, it's teaching your little one a strategy to use in the future when they feel their bodies losing control. They'll be more likely to step outside or move their bodies to dissipate some of that frustration.

If in doubt, get out.

You've got this.

Tag a parent who's really juggling with some big behaviours.

Watch the full reel here