Parenting Advice for Democrats: How to Handle the Republican Temper Tantrum
Parenting Advice for Democrats: How to Handle the Republican Temper Tantrum
By Amanda Marcotte
It is now Day Four of the federal government shutdown, and with the shifting rationales, histrionics, and likelihood of future misbehavior, it has become quite clear that, as with the shutdown in 1995, this is a straight-up Republican temper tantrum. And who knows better how to handle a temper tantrum than the parenting experts? As Parenting explains, tantrum-throwers "think they're the center of the universe," and tantrums often occur because "sharing is so difficult." Sounds like the Republicans we know who are shutting down the government rather than include more people in our health care system!
So what kind of advice can Obama and the Senate Democrats take from the parenting experts on how to diffuse a tantrum that's underway? This list from WikiHow has some useful tips.
Remain calm enough to handle the tantrum properly. Luckily for the Democrats, they have "No Drama Obama" leading the way. This matters a lot, because as WikiHow points out, throwing a tantrum in the face of a tantrum can only cause things to escalate.
Remember that your child's tantrum is NOT necessarily a way to "get his way" but could be the result of frustration, lack of needed attention from you, or even a physical problem, like low blood sugar, pain or digestive problems! We're quite sure Republicans are getting enough naps, but this is nonetheless good advice. While there are "true believers" on the Hill, plenty of Republicans are less worried about getting their way on health care than they are afraid of Tea Party radicals trying to remove them from power. Not the Democrats' problem to fix, but something to keep in mind during negotiations. Providing a few healthy snacks couldn't hurt either.
Do not reward the tantrum. As WikiHow explains, "If you allow yourself to be held hostage by tantrums, your child will continue to use them long past the age when they would otherwise cease." Giving into this Republican tantrum means they will continue to look for every opportunity to hold the government or the economy hostage to extract further demands. As any parent knows, no matter how tempting it is to give them what they want to shut them up, you'll just be paying for it down the line.
full article
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/04/how_to_handle_the_republican_tantrum_what_advice_do_parenting_guides_have.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content
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on a regular basis to continue their tantrums!
