Mine is. And I have NO idea where she got it from. ;-P
I actually was preparing myself for the tantrums and fits because my whole life I’d hear from family members how crazy I was as a toddler. From sticking my tongue out at complete strangers who were just saying hi to me to cursing out the children in my preschool class. History repeats itself….I just hope she doesn’t start calling people stupid asses.
Now the real question is how to handle these tantrums. When she first started them, she would stomp her little chubby feet then drop to the ground and gently lower herself to the floor very cautiously so she wouldn’t bunk her head and then stretch out on the tiles and start rolling. My husband and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. We clearly have issues. So we would watch her and comment on how cute she was being, like the dumb, 1st time-inexperienced parents we are. She quickly caught on that we weren’t phased and she amped up the drama big time. They have stopped being cute and slowly driving me insane. And god forbid we say the word “no”, here head spins around and she turns into a demon and that’s when she pops out the tears 10 times quicker.
So lately I haven’t been putting up with the drama. As soon as she hits the floor I walk away. Its funny how quickly she stops once she realizes she has no audience. She quickly gets up, stops the tears and runs out to see where I am, then takes it from the top of Act 1 Scene 2. I quickly walk away again and then she stops for good.
I have even tried time out and that was just a disaster. She grabs onto me like a koala bear and won’t let go or stay where I put her. I have seen a designated time out area, but will try that once she gets a little bit older. I know it is only going to get worse from here but I figure getting as many tips as I can about dealing with tantrums, the better I might be.
So here are my only 3 ways to handle a tantrum:
- Walk away from the scene
- Ignore, ignore, ignore
- Time out
- Drinking heavily as soon as she goes to bed
So far 3 of the 4 really work well for us. I know there is more and I am steering clear of bribing her to stop crying with treats or toys. Mom’s, this is where I need your help. For all us new parents who are entering the drama phase – I don’t care if your child is 2 or 20 – what were some great tips to coping with the every dramatic toddlers/terrible two’s? How did you stay sane in dealing with transitioning into this phase?!?
I can’t keep waking up hung over 
- Amanda
WELL…..the terrible twos turn into the tough threes, I’m currently in the ferocious fives and the scary sevens. I think what you are doing is great. There are no correct ways to handle the tantrums…but definitely DO NOT try to stop them with candy or toys! I have gotten really good at ignoring…and the stare. Don’t forget the stare. My seven year old is beginning to only throw fits while we’re in public places because he knows I can’t yell or spank. Sneaky little bugger.
Good luck! It’s a right of passage!
Looking forward to more mom’s writing in.. I have been doing the ignore thing (since I can’t do the drinking think after bed time just yet). I am at my wits end too. The wining is annoying.. can’t stand the wining… any clue how to stop that action???
With our temper tantrum oriented little miss, the ignoring is best – I say “goodbye” and walk away – that usually ends it in a few more seconds. We also tell her to go sit on her little couch and she will usually throw herself dramatically on it but then come up smiling or laughing a minute or two later. If she is really out of control (hitting or thrashing her body around) I will take her to the nearest chair and sit her down, look her square in the eyes, and say, “sit here until you want to act right and then come find me.” So far, she does sit there and then in a minute comes to find me. When she does, I ask her if she is ready to be a good little girl now. She usually shakes her head and squeaks out a small “yes” and that is that…no idea why that works but so far so good. I am sure it is a temporary thing but I will take it for now!
i feel like maddie and ava could be bff’s and they would definitely see who could out dramatize the other. i started sitting her on a part of the couch and she just sits there and whines..but sits. we’ll see how long that will last
Jaime, we have issues with grunting and whining…we usually tell her “no grunting” or “no whining” (and sometimes I tell her how annoying it is) and because I usually know what she wants, I make her use the correct word or if she doesn’t have the word, I make her say “please”. It helps when the vocabulary expands. In the mean time, just never give in to the whining or grunting – it only reinforces it.
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