After the Storm Passes

When the screaming stops, your child is not instantly fine. The body has flooded with stress chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol, and those take time to clear — often many minutes after the loudest moment is over.

This is why a child can still be:

• Clingy and easily set off again
• Tearful over something tiny
• Slow to accept comfort or follow simple requests

So the calm right after a meltdown is fragile. This is the moment for quiet presence, not lectures or consequences. Let the chemistry settle first; the teaching can wait until your child is fully back.