Ah, temper tantrums. A daily (if not hourly!) occurrence once you hit the “terrible twos”. There’s often no rhyme or reason for a hissyfit at home or worse, a public meltdown, but you can rest assured that you’re not alone.
Even the rich and famous struggle with kids’ tantrums. Think that celebrity children don’t have anything to complain about? Think again! These A-list mums share their top tips for diverting a tantrum crisis and dealing with tots in the midst of a massive meltdown. From the free-spirited “let them express themselves” approach to the under-arm carry kicking and screaming, you’ll find it all in our gallery.
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Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s family may look picture-perfect here, but she recently confessed to Kidspot that she’s had to scoop her three-year-old son, Hendrix, up under her arm and carry him out of the shopping centre mid-meltdown before. “He saw one of those car rides. I put my two dollars in and then he wanted it to go again. I said no and then he had a complete meltdown… I had a pram in one hand and then had to grab him in the other. I was carrying him horizontally under my arm and he was kicking and screaming. It was great!”
Even royalty need to roll with the punches when it comes to toddlers – just ask Prince William and Duchess Catherine! At the Royal International Air Tattoo last month, Prince George, three, threw a (royally charming) hissyfit. Not for the first time, according to his dad, who said in the past: “He’s a little bit of a rascal, I’ll put it that way… at the moment, bath time is quite painful, but hopefully donning a snorkel and mask might calm him down.” Proof that parents (even royals) will do anything to avoid a tantrum. Cute!
Expectant mum Mila Kunis has a laid-back approach to her daughter Wyatt’s upcoming “terrible twos”. Speaking to Sunday Style recently, the Bad Moms actress said: “It’s not that big of a deal. People are ar#eholes. Babies are ar#eholes. It is what it is. The only beautiful thing about your kid being an ar#ehole is that you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Rebecca Judd’s life may look idyllic on Instagram, but rest assured her little ones throw tantrums just like other kids! The model mum, who’s pregnant with twin boys, shared snaps of her daughter Billie, two, who was far from from happy at the beach or being declined cupcakes. Bless! Bec’s solution? Snap the evidence. Perfect 21st fodder!
Kids really do have the best timing! Mariah Carey’s son, Moroccan, five, found something to pout about as his mum was being honoured at Hollywood’s Walk of Fame last year. Ever the professional, Mariah kept her cool, posed like a pro and the whole thing passed in time for family photos! Proof that sometimes avoidance is the best tactic.
Jennifer Lopez knows a thing or two about public meltdowns; her twins Max and Emme, seven, both lost it at the premiere of Home earlier this year. Luckily Jen had Sunday Funday up her sleeve. “They don’t get to use their iPads during the week or play video games or anything because it’s school time… then they get Sunday Funday. It’s something I made up so they could work towards it and behave!” Smart.
Jennifer Garner’s advice for tackling tantrums and living to tell the tale? Stay consistent. “My littlest one [Samuel, now four] saw something he wanted. I had just said, ‘We’re not buying anything,’ and he threw a fit. The people at the store said to me, ‘Please let us just give this to you’ because he was so unhappy. And I said, ‘I’m sorry that he’s throwing a fit in your store and you’re so sweet to want to give this to him. And thank you for asking me first. But he’s going to have to throw a fit.’ I said no. No is no… It’s not pretty. I don’t think that I’m always the best at it but I try my best to be consistent and for them to know what they can expect from me,” she told Us Magazine.
Everyone’s favourite Instagram tot, Sonny Blake, still manages to squeeze in a tantrum or two between his travels and Peppa Pig cupcakes! Zoe Foster Blake shared the left snap, captioning it: “Man, toddlers get to do all the sh*t I wish I could, like have full blown tantrums when I’m hungry, and take three hour naps, and just sit on my ass when the queue for boarding takes too long. Also they get to play with Hot Wheels heaps.” Sounds like the life, eh?
Angelina Jolie believes that her six kids should be able to express themselves, tantrums and all. “Children should be allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wish. I would never be the kind of parent to force somebody to be something they are not. I think that is just bad parenting.” If the super-cute snaps of Ange, Zahara and Shiloh at the Kids’ Choice Awards are anything to go by, the Jolie-Pitt’s tantrum tactic works!
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