"Why did you do that? No! No throwing!" We get so frustrated when our children behave like children. We forget that their brain is still developing. We get all caught up in our own triggers as if they are personally attacking us. To break this cycle we can redirect our attention to the "wanted behaviors" from children. When you watch your child (of any age really) self-regulate praise their progress. Not the outcome. For example, when my daughter gets frustrated she throws whatever she is playing with all over the room. But recently I've been seeing her talking to herself instead of throwing then she tries again. Acknowledging her self-regulation progress can sound like: I saw how frustrating it was for you to watch your tower fall, and you chose to start over again! You must be so proud! I love you Lani" This positive reinforcement of progress make her feel seen and valued and will increase the likelihood of the regulative behavior to continue. Have you praised your child self-regulation progress before? Would you be willing to try?