Terrible twos wouldn’t be that terrible if we could figure out what to do.
By the time the children hit the 2-year mark, language skills start developing and they can understand tons but expressing themselves well is something they still haven’t learned. This is a major reason why parents cannot interpret their emotions well at this age and hence toddler tantrums.
With the growing toddler comes their way of doing things, but they suddenly realise that their way is not always correct as there are rules that they need to follow.
Colouring is acceptable but colouring on walls are not. Even if it looks as pretty as the rainbow. But did you tell them that before they started colouring?.
Take them to a grocery store and hand them a broken cookie and they might just lie flat on the floor. You give them water in the wrong bottle and the water would probably be all over your face. The key to handle toddler tantrums is to understand the toddlers better.
We adults also get frustrated when challenged and so do these tiny human grenades. Most of these tantrums can be avoided by simply distracting them for something more interesting than what they are frustrated for. Teaching discipline is important but trying hard to discipline a 2-year-old all the time can only worsen the situation. They get more disciplined and understanding as they grow older and start understanding how to express themselves better. Sometimes the tantrums only happen to get the attention of parents. Try giving more time to your children at this difficult phase to understand them better and cope up with the tantrums.
I have always seen my children having temper tantrums when they start getting hungry or sleepy. I remember being told by the security guy once – ‘calm down, please don’t show violence’ when I was at the security check at Heathrow Airport. The boys kept crying at the same time driving me crazy, while daddy was nowhere to be seen and the security guys kept telling me to open every god damn thing to see if I was carrying something suspicious. All the crying and yelling was only because they were simply HUNGRY.
Start by trying to talk to your toddler offering him something else like a reward if they would behave better, distract them, give them a hug and guide them on your way back home. The tantrums are not as bad as they sound and working towards them definitely makes it better.
