Verbal Abuse is a Big Deal

An Overview Including 'The Rules'

Steve Biddulph got me started with the ideas that I will present in this series. My life changed after reading his classic book, The Secret of Happy Children. His advice was about dealing with children having tantrums. I would say that most verbally abusive people have behaved this way since childhood as they never had a parent who was capable of helping them grow out of this behaviour.

Central to his advice was that the more serious the message you want to convey, the more critical it is that you should LOWER your volume and tone.

He also suggests you vow to never again give in to a child’s tantrum.

I developed his advice further to use with anyone who attempts to negotiate with me by using aggression or passive aggression. I suggest that whether you are dealing with a child or an adult, you vow to never again give in to a tantrum,

Regulating Anger

I am not saying that it’s never okay to get angry.

Anger is normal and natural and is triggered by disrespect. Genuine anger wells up and sub…