When your child hits or kicks, stay calm and hold them at a safe distance while saying hitting isn't allowed. Young kids lack self-control and need your help learning to manage big feelings, not your anger in return.
When our child hits or kicks us, what are we supposed to do? Here's an example of what to say: I won't let you hit or kick me, but you're not bad or wrong for wanting to. I'm going to hold you at a distance so that your hands and feet can't hurt me. Remember, children have minimal ability to control the behavior. They need to know it's okay for me to feel this way. I'm not a bad person for feeling like this. Helping kids regulate big emotions takes time, and we have to work on staying calm ourselves. An angry parent can't help a child calm down. For my booklet on how to manage tantrums, drop a comment below and I'll send it to you.
