7 Aug 2008 - Is my nightmare starting?

Every now and then, people around me with kids will tell me about their scary experience, which commonly termed as "The Terrible TWO"! This is a development stage of a child when she begins to say "no" and very often throws tantrums to show that. Jerlene is beginning to show signs of reaching this stage. Recently whenever she's not happy, she will do this......

It is so embarassing when she does this in shopping mall, supermarket or some other crowded places in public. Whenever she refuses to leave certain shops, she will just lie down on the floor, hands and legs apart and face kissing the floor. It seems like my nightmare has started much earlier than expected as Jerlene is just past 18 months.

For parents with similar experience, there are tips which I found from the net that may help us cope with 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.

By learning more about this normal stage in your child's development, it can make it easier to get through it and make sure that you aren't contributing to more battles than are necessary.
Other tips for helping your toddler during the terrible twos include:
- having a regular routine for meals, naps, bedtime, etc. and try to stick to them each day
- offer limited choices only, like 'would you like apples or oranges for your snack' and not just 'what do you want for your snack.' This helps your toddler feel like he is making some decisions and has power over things, but he isn't able to choose unacceptable alternatives.
- learn to set limits about things and don't be surprised when your toddler tries to test those limits to see what he can get away with
- don't give in to tantrums
- begin to use time-out and taking away privileges as discipline techniques
- provide your toddler with a safe environment that is well childproofed to explore and play in. It really isn't fair that your toddler should get in trouble for playing with something he isn't supposed to if you left it within reach. "