Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

I mean, dropping to the floor, melting down?

My nephew still has them. I have already had concerns about him... he just seems off and cognitively challenged... but seeing this last night at a restaraunt, I cant get it out of my mind...

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is still very normal....

Any moms go through this? Maybe you can reassure me that this is totally normal, and I'll still be dealign with tantrums in 7 years with Cailen!

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

At seven, I'd say no. He should have left that phase a while ago. However, there are plenty of parents who give into tantrums when they start (many years earlier), never ignore them and well, over time they just escalate. I've seen much older kids pull tantrums and it's pretty sad

ETA: What time of night was this?
Were they out and about all day long?

He could have just been overtired and "crankified". Kids can't go, go, go all day long and not have enough naps, or for older kids a bit of a veg-out period, w/o meltdowns happening.

Message edited 9/10/2007 7:40:08 AM.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

I don't believe in the word normal, every situation is different...

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

Is he or has he gone through a stressful experince? Say a divorce, a sick parent or grandparent, etc? Maybe that's part of it.

Or maybe his parents are too lax. My cousin acted that way well past 7, but it was my aunt & uncle's fault, they gave in to him on everything pretty much from birth, so he knew that if he kept acting out they'd give him what he wanted to get him to stop. He's 14 and I can't believe how disrespectful he is to his parents and that they put up with it.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

That's a little late but not impossible. It depends on his maturity level.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

Since Joseph is going to be 6, I would say it would be possible for him to still throw a tantrum next year.

He doesn't throw himself on the floor but he'll stomp around, shout, slam a door, or run out of the room if he's upset.

We definitely don't give into tantrums. I don't know that he is emotionally mature though.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

my 8 year old throws tantrums i guess.. he stomps his feet around the house and slams a door or two.. throwing himself on the floor no way.. he wouldn't do that

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

While I was in the ER 2 weeks ago, a boy started having a tantrum. I figured he was probably about 3 years old. 15 minutes later, I finally turned around because I seriously wanted to beat the mother. I found out it was an older child. I guessed he was about 6-7 years old. I thought it was wrong on so many levels.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

My son is 6 1/2 and he doesn't so much have "temper tantrums" like throwing himself on the floor, but he does get mad and stomp around, or slam doors.. he just doesn't know how to deal with his anger completely yet.... I never gave into his temper tantrums when he was younger though, I think that makes a BIG difference.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

My ds is 9 and still throws a fit especially if he's tired or if he doesn't get his way. He would slam his door or try yelling at me But he's finally starting to learn that when he acts like that I take something away because he is ONLY 9 and I will not tolerate it. But god I hope he wouldn't go as far as to throw himself on the floor, that's my 2yr old I guess every child is different, lets just hope they grow out of it.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?

As a teacher of 6/7 year olds, I would say it's more in the "abnormal" range. Like others have said, stomping around and slamming doors is probably more commonplace, but I would think throwing himself on the floor is where it crosses the line.

Of course, everything is situational, but since you already had concerns about the boy, I would bet there just might be some sort of issue.

Re: Is it normal for a 7 yr old boy to have a tantrum?