What is the Terrible Twos?
Terrible twos and threes usually come with tantrums and a hard-to-deal-with toddler. They hit, bite, throw, kick, and seem to get mad at anything and everything.Â
When does the Terrible Twos Start?
The phase, “terrible twos,” could start as early as 18 months old! I know this to be true because both of my children started them that early. They started with tantrums over the tiniest of things and escalated as the months went on.
How to Deal With the Terrible Twos
We all hear about how tough it is to deal with a toddler going through their terrible twos and threes. They have constant mood changes and they might not be that happy little kid that they once were. They want to communicate with us, but they haven’t been able to pick up enough words to do so, yet.
Instead of getting mad at them, why can’t we just love them? Well, because it’s incredibly stressful– duh.
They whine and throw tantrums when they don’t get something they want. Their patience is nonexistent, and if we don’t get that candy bar unwrapped in -2 seconds then all hell WILL break loose.
It’s hard. They cry out of frustration, we cry out of frustration. They kick, bite, throw things, and say “no” to just about everything. Sharing doesn’t exist anymore and you’ll be lucky enough if you’re able to leave the room without them getting upset.
We can’t wait for our kids to outgrow this phase, and then they get older and we miss when they were little.
The terrible two’s is the stage when they really start learning. They’re gaining independence, and they want to be “on their own” and do things by themselves. But they’re also realizing that there are rules to many things, which can be frustrating for them.
Just think about how lovely they are during their toddler years.
The cuddles you get when your baby is feeling sad and sick.
How happy they get when you play with them
The way they make you laugh.
The way you make them laugh.
The way they run up to you when they’ve missed you.
How excited they get when you say “bath time!”
The way they dance to every beat that comes on the TV.
The way they mimic everything you do.
The way they cry when you leave the room because they don’t want to be away from you.
This phase is such a great part of their life.
And we’re missing it.
Because we’re focused on the bad part of this phase and not the good.
We must live in the moment and take in every piece of their little lives, which includes the bad parts.
We will regret it when they’re older and going off to school. Suddenly we won’t be with them for every part of the day. Someone else is in charge of our child and it’s going to be hard to get used to.
I want to soak up as much as I can of my children before it’s too late.
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