Please say it isn't so. Yes, it is so. My happy-go-lucky, easy going child seems to have been replaced by a screaming, screeching, bossy nymph of some sort. It isn't that his sweetness is gone, or that he laughs any less. But oh, the tantrums. It wears on a mommy's nerves a bit when her child screeches, screams, and cries over every little thing. I know this is normal behavior for a toddler, but I have to admit that I was a bit blindsided, because E has always been so easy going.
I guess I should laugh at myself. Did I think I would escape this phase? Ha! I also find myself struggling to know how to handle his tantrums. Last night, for example, he was completely distraught because his daddy ate the last piece of kiwi. Man oh man were the waterworks on. We had tears, we had screaming, we had mommy urging him to breath in...fifteen minutes of this. Now, I don't feel like this was a matter of discipline. It isn't like he broke any rules. He was simply upset. Very, very upset. I tried offering him apples instead, but that didn't work. The only thing I could really think to do was ignore him until he was calming down. He did calm down eventually. Of course, then we had another tantrum because he wanted another piece of bread. Dinner time is fun these days.
And then there is the matter of discipline. Of course he can't always have what he wants, and being told "no" also results in a scream-fest. Let me tell you. E is one persistent little dude! He just keeps going back to doing whatever it was he was told not to do. I have tried timeout. I usually have to sit there with him the entire time and then, of course, the screaming gets louder. Sigh. What to do? Is this even effective at this age? I don't know. All I know is that I want my happy child back. Don't get me wrong. I still love the little guy more than I can express, and we have a blast together. Right now though, my days seem so very, very long.
And let's not forget, he has learned the word "no." I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's the dreaded word "no," the favorite word of toddlers everywhere. On the other hand, it's a word. We have been so concerned about his speech that any word is an amazing sound to our ears. He already likes to use it in a phrase: "oh no." Which is so cute. I guess he really is one of those children that wants to start talking in sentences, since the only things he says consistently now are "go," "go get it," "no no," and "oh no." It's progress. We'll take it.
Since my recent posts have been downers, I should end this one on a happy note. Despite the tantrums, E is quite the character. I was standing at the mirror in the bathroom last night, and hubby was standing there talking to me. E closed the bathroom door on us, and continued to do so every time daddy opened it. After a few times, E hurried through the door, grabbed the hem of my shirt, and pulled me out of the bathroom. He then proceeded to shut the door in my husband's face. He continued to close the door every time his dad tried to open it. We were both laughing so hard. Eventually my husband (I need a good nickname for him here) went out the other door, through the hallway, and into our bedroom through the other door. E squealed with laughter and ran away. He's such a ham.
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