Step 1: Get him to calm down after the tantrum

Okay, this is a situation that I like to avoid when at all possible. It is the whiny, grumpy young complainer, who sees no joy in his parent’s suggestions. As soon as I see signs of this, I know that it’s low blood sugar and fatigue.

I refer to it as post-party syndrome, if it lands primarily after a busy, festive day (or a day with too much sugar and not enough real nutrition).  Generally, I call it low-blood sugar and have not been afraid to name the grumpy parties as “Crabbelpot,” “Count Crabula” or “Crabby Diaper.”  Let me stop here, aside from the occasional birthday party, we keep very little sugary treats in the house.  When I feed them to my kids, it is done after they’ve consumed ample nutrition so as to not hit their blood stream immediately and cause crankiness. However, low-blood sugar happens to everyone, and when you know how to handle it, then it becomes an easy problem to bear.

Today I had two individual “cranksters” who dragged feet and could not get happy about anything, especially a couple hours after lunch. I discovered that my first grade daughter ate half her lunch (three and a half hours prior) and did not have a snack. My four-year-old son refused to eat his sandwich, and I knew he was going to be punchy a couple hours later.

Why do I tell you this?  Well, you probably already know that kids need to eat frequently throughout the day.  What is more, they need a balance of grains, proteins, fats, vegetables and fruits.  Unfortunately, when they’re away at school, we cannot oversee how much of their packed lunch they eat (notice I did not say hot lunch!). What is more unfortunate, is that they are also less likely to drink water throughout the day. (I live for the day when schools will allow kids to sip water in class, but I will dream for the time being!)

Being low on fuel will lead to bad behavior. Who wants to cooperate when he or she is exhausted and hungry? So, what’s the solution? Feed the kid immediately (make sure you have dried fruits on hand for this very purpose and nuts or seeds for longer lasting effects on their metabolism).

Step 2: Get thee to the nearest healthy snack and feed (here eating a dried papaya stick)