We are more like roomates. There are two types of temper tantrums according to Stanley Turecki in his book The Difficult Child. The first is tempermental and the second is manipulative. Your first job as a parent is to decide which your son is having. Your second job is to choose how to handle it.
Tantrums have a tendency to increase in length and intensity if they are successful.
A good rule of thumb in handling all tantrums is not to give in and not to overpower. A child having a full blown tantrum can be quite scared by the totally out of control feeling that accompanies it. You can provide a settling affect by staying under control and reassuring as a parent. This does not mean you need to say anything and in actuality, it is often better to say nothing. Your child will learn that you are in control and are willing help him learn to get back under contol.