Why Do Young Children Get Angry So Easily?
WHY DO SMALL CHILDREN LIKE TO GET ANGRY?
By: Eka Wardhana, Rumah Pensil Publisher
"NOOOO!" is a common, emotional scream from children aged 2-6 (early childhood). Why is it that children that age are so impulsive, or so emotional?
First, of course, we need to understand what emotions are.
According to the Psychology Dictionary written by Dr. Kartini Kartono and Dali Gulo, emotions are: arousal of feelings accompanied by changes in the body, such as tense muscles, rapid heartbeat, and so on.
In other words, emotions are changes in feelings accompanied by changes in expression and body gestures.
So, emotions aren't just anger, right? Yes. Emotions can take the form of fear, sadness, worry, joy, affection, jealousy, and more. Therefore, emotions can be categorized into two types: positive emotions and negative emotions.
Let's ignore positive emotions like joy and affection for now, because most of us don't see them as a problem when our children display them. The problem lies in negative emotions, because if we don't understand them, we can misinterpret them. Misinterpreting them can lead to misguided parenting.
Developmental psychologists observe that in early childhood, children experience very strong emotions, especially between the ages of 2 and 4. Let's look at the reasons why young children often experience tantrums and excessive crying.
The book "Developmental Psychology" by Elizabeth Hurlock reveals several reasons why children aged 2 and 4 often experience excessive emotions:
1. Loss of focus.
This means that at this age, emotional imbalance often occurs, making children easily carried away by emotional outbursts. As a result, children become difficult to guide and direct. Parents who recognize this will be more patient, as this is a natural condition. Providing rules and discipline is still necessary and can be done, but it must be accompanied by a great deal of patience.
2. It depends on the individual.
It's true that some children experience emotions more intensely and more frequently than others. Parents of children like this should show more understanding and affection.
3. Playing too long.
Excessive playtime can make children irritable. Parents should pay more attention to the balance between playtime and rest time.
4. Refusing to take naps.
Children who have difficulty napping are usually more prone to emotional outbursts. Parents should try to address this as much as possible. For example, before naptime, fill the child up, read a story slowly, and do other things that might help the child fall asleep more easily.
5. Eating too little.
Eating too little can also easily make children cranky. This can be addressed by improving eating patterns and habits to ensure they are eating within ideal portions.
6. Inability to do something.
Young children also often feel frustrated when they are unable to do something they think is easy. Parents can address this by gradually teaching them how to do the activity.
7. Parents' expectations are too high.
Too high means beyond reasonable limits. For example, parents expect a 3-year-old child to be able to read. Children who experience this will become stressed and prone to emotional outbursts. Therefore, parents should better understand child development and set reasonable and normal expectations for young children. For example, putting away toys, and things like that.
That's it, Moms and Dads. Hopefully, after this, we can better understand and know how to react when our children suddenly throw tantrums without any apparent reason. Let's be more understanding and loving parents so we don't respond to our children's anger with anger, such as yelling, screaming, pinching, and so on.
Greetings, Smart Parents!
Kak Eka Wardhana's Social Media
Facebook: / kakekawardhana
Instagram: / kak_eka_wardhana
#ekawardhana #parenting