Need some help please! *LONG post*

[Judy Trickett]

I just explained this to my ds after the nintendo incident. I told him that he was allowed to be angry, that he has the right to feel angry. But I also explained to him that he did not have the right to damage things or have inappropriate behavior because he was angry.

Somewhere along the line children need to learn how to manage their emotions. Again they have every right to feel the way they feel, but they do not have the right to lash out and hurt people.

Exactly! Case in point.....I hate my neighbour. HATE HIM! He is rude, inconsiderate and a total ass-hat. What I really, REALLY want to do is go over there and punch him in the throat - yes, he makes me THAT angry. And even though I feel that strong emotion I check it at the door when I walk outside my house so I do NOT actually punch him in the throat. And I started learning to control my emotions when I was young, just like these toddlers we speak of. If we do not have years and years of practice then we are suddenly 20, 25 years old and in JAIL because we lashed out.