Dr. Jameca CooperForensic Psychology Consultant, Emergence Psychological Services · Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Forensic Psychology Consultant

The art of distraction... He mastered it #genx #distraction #tantrum #parentingreality

14 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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0:32

In this brief YouTube clip, a Gen X parent who is also a psychologist with over 20 years of experience (Speaker B) endorses the "art of distraction" as a simple, low‑stress strategy for calming an upset child during a tantrum. He argues that parents don’t need to read extensive books or devise complex plans; instead, they can take the child’s mind off the source of upset, a technique he has used successfully and observed others master. The clip includes a short interjection from Speaker A before Speaker B delivers the advice.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, my turn, my turn. Okay, your turn.
Dad got it right this time. As a Gen X parent and a psychologist of over 20 years, this is a strategy that I've used and I've seen other people use very successfully. You don't always need to go read a whole bunch of books, do a lot of strategy, or get stressed. It's simply the art of distraction. Take their mind off what it is they're upset about. He did it, he mastered it.