It can be hard to remember "My child is HAVING a hard time," rather than "My child is giving me a hard time." 

"When we are in a heated moment or feeling a surge of our emotions, it makes it much harder to think rationally. When considering our children and how they are developing their prefrontal lobe (the part that does a lot of the planning and decision-making), it then makes sense that they have much more difficulty in expressing themselves calmly when under stress....

"When offering a hug or verbal reassurance to calm your child, you are not automatically reinforcing their behavior. You are actually helping them calm down so that they can hear you better."

Read about it from Dr. Azine Graff on Motherly.

photo: Toni Cathryn for Motherly