Culture Post: Poll Finds Many Parents Struggling to Manage Kids’ Anger

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Angry outbursts are common among children, as siblings squabble and kids protest the unfairness of rules like screen time limits.

Now, a new survey shows that many parents struggle to manage their kids’ anger, and some even suspect they’re not providing a good example themselves.

Seven in 10 parents think they sometimes don’t handle anger well and their kids may model that behavior, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

One in seven parents think their kids get angrier than peers the same age, and four in 10 say their child has experienced negative consequences when angry, the poll found.

“Children often react intensely to minor frustrations since they’re still building emotional regulation skills. Without guidance on how to express these feelings appropriately, it can lead to disruptive behaviors, problems at school and strained relationships,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark.

“Parents play an important role in teaching children how to process and manage their anger productively,” Clark added in a hospital news release. “But some parents may need guidance themselves on the best strategies to do this.”

More parents of boys than girls said their child has gotten angry enough to hurt themselves or others, have problems with friends or get in trouble at school, the poll found.

However, parents may not always use effective strategies to address a child’s anger. In fact, the poll found that only one in three parents said they’ve received any advice about helping kids learn anger management.

Parents said strategies that help children process anger include:

• Cool-off activities like drawing, counting to 10 or deep breathing
• Physical outlets like ripping paper or squeezing a stress ball
• Providing a friendly ear so they have a chance to vent and be heard

“For many children, effective strategies involve taking some type of break from the momentary frustration, allowing the opportunity to calm down and regain control,” Clark said. “There’s no magic strategy that works for every child, so it’s helpful for parents to seek out different sources of information and advice and try different approaches.”

Source: HealthDay
https://www.healthday.com/health-news/child-health/poll-finds-many-parents-struggling-to-manage-kids-anger

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