|
Terrible Twos?
Two Terrible Two questions...
Can you explain what the terrible twos are, exactly?
My toddler is not two, yet his behavior makes me wonder if this is what the terrible twos is.
And if it he is experiencing the terrible twos at not yet a year and a half old, do I seriously have this to look forward to for another year?
He's a very sweet boy, but my word, does he have his moments...
Please... Share your experiences and your advice.
I just don't know what to do some days.
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Parenting?
OH the toddler years =) I believe them to be some of the funnest years with my kids but also one of the most stressful times in my life as a parent. As a matter of fact I am currently going through this stage with my youngest, except he waited untl he turned 4 to start this stage in his life.
My youngest, Trae, is turning into what I call a "smart mouth brat". Don't get me wrong I absolutely love him with all my heart but to be honest I hate the backtalk,I hate the "thinking he's boss", it drives me up that wall and he does sound exactly like a smart mouth brat ya know?
Here is how I deal with it. Whenever he starts to backtalk me or become disrespectful in anyway, I simply put him in his room. Now keep in mind he is 4 so with a 2 year old I would do time outs. I know a lot of people claim time outs don't work for them but it's simply a matter of sticking to it and following through. Unless there is a possible medical condition, for example my oldest has ADHD so time outs didn't work with him, then a time out for 2 minutes should do the trick. It will take a few times before he starts to understand and connect the the time out to his behavior but it will work.
Just know that this is a phase with every child, at different ages apparently =), and he will get passed it. Keep your head up and keep pressing on.
]
The terrible twos and threes - I remember those with no regrets. I had twins so double the angst!
From what the doctor said to me, you should take heart. You are raising a child who is not afraid to question or push boundaries. Despite the trauma it may be causing you at the moment, this is worth it. He is not afraid to express himself.
He has started to realise there is more to his little world than mum, wants to explore and find his feet, but because of his age and limitations, discovers it's not so easy. Then he gets frustrated and takes it out on the people he feels safest with. Really, it's a compliment, if he didn't feel safe he wouldn't do it!
Children seem to be developing faster these days, so they may very easily start the tantrums earlier than two. It can go on past two but it should start to ease up by the mid threes. However, be prepared for it to go on longer if he is an emotional little soul. He sounds perfectly normal to me, just hard work for now. The time will pass and it honestly will get easier. It just doesn't seem like it at the moment.
I used distraction with mine, sometimes the more bizarre the thought the better it worked. You can get to be quite an accomplished actress with the "Can you see that enormous pink cat by the hedge? Oh, you've just missed it, if you keep very quiet and keep looking it may come back". By the time they've got bored looking for a mythical large pink cat, they've forgotten the tantrum and what it was about.
I also played lots of learning games with them. They've only recently realised that this was what they were, and they're 23 now. Some of the earliest of the games I played was to put the names of household objects on the items, television on the tv, radiator on the radiator etc. They learned the look of the word along with seeing what it was on. We could then play 'find what starts with this letter'. Flash cards distracted them too and music. We danced a lot, they can't have a tantrum when they're jumping up and down to Nelly the Elephant by the Toy Dolls. :)
Here's the link if you want to try it.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
]
What Maggy said. Really. Every kid is different, and every kid will move into that 'pushing the boundaries' phase at a different time. Part of the problem is communication; your son may be frustrated that he can't tell you what he wants in a clear fashion. Advocates af baby sign language claim that kids are calmer if they can sign what they want instead of trying to communicate verbally. (It works pretty well with my own son, who's nearly three and has a speech delay.)
One thing we do is walk away when he throws a tantrum. If he's doing it to get attention, he'll stop after a few moments.
Hope this helps.
]
Well the "Terrible Two's" consist of your child: Biting, hitting, yelling, everything is theirs, they don't believe in the word NO. Your toddler might have frequent mood changes and temper tantrums. I have a little boy as well who is only a year and a half and is already experiencing the "terrible twos". To help you cope with this normal stage in your child's development, you should always remember that your child isn't trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose. He is just trying to express his growing independence and doesn't have the language skills to easily express his needs. This can also be the reason why your toddler frequently gets frustrated and resorts to hitting, biting, and temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way.
]
More Questions: |