Terrible Two's

[Resa]

Oh man- she's driving me nuts! She won't eat, she won't go to sleep until I go to sleep, I couldn't even take out the garbage last night unless I brought her with me. She calls all candy 'pops' and asks for it all the time and I don't keep any in the house, she leaves a trail of messes, and I can't even take a shower unless she can come hang out in the bathroom even tho someone's there to watch her. She picked up my belt and asked me if I wanted a beating ( thanx to her father).
It takes forever to get her in the bath and then forever to get her out. I tell her father all the time that she's coming to live with him! HaHa, like that'll ever happen. But from what I hear this is all normal right? Any seasoned parents have any advice on how to keep from pulling my hair out? I'm 26 and female, I can't be bald!

[AngelFeather]

I hear Ya resa.. been thru the terrible 2's 5 times... hehe

I can suggest a few things..

1). Both parents need to use same techniques...even when they arent together

2). Scheduling... Necessary in any kids life..

3). Consistency

4). Dont Buckle!!! Important because when a kids see ya buckle.. they will know that thier manipulation works and how to push your buttons.

5). Dont threaten if youre not prepared to follow through..

6). Let them CRY its not the end of the world.. let them throw a tantrum... when they have calmed Down ask them why they did what they did and ask them what makes them feel that way... they WILL tell you

2 year olds are smart... remember this is a time in thier lives when they learn ALOT... they learn it thru example and observance. They KNOW how to communicate to you when they KNOW thats it is okay to do so... they just need reassurance that what they are feeling is ok while at the same time being taught to channel thier feelings in a proper way that doesnt hurt others. Also I found it helpful to allow my kids to decide for themselves the mode of punishment... let them help make the rules (within reason of course)... that will require compromisation. hat way they cant say NO FAIR cause they the ones that made the rule... hehe

LAST but not LEAST... praise; alwasy praise your kid fer the GOOD things they do.... if we pay attention to all the negatives they learn that negative behavior gets attention...

Im not tryin to sound all high an mighty and I have learned alot of this thru trial and error and Im still learning and It is definately hard to stik to what you SAY.... Kids are SOOOO good at making you feel guilty... and the eyes come out and then your heart sinks and then its Awwwww.... LOL
Resa.. it IS normal... for 2 year olds to behave this way..BUT if not dealt with right away it WILL get worse...and eventually youll find yourself with a 6 year old still misbehaving... i had a spolied Child... Boy I learned from that 1 and Had many Discussions with My mother in law about how Unfair she thought I was being... I told her "OKAY you feed her candy and pop and give her whatever she wants,,, BUT.. the deal IS... you have to take her Home with you...
hahah.... and once i even took a big bag of candy and all that stuff to her house when she was baby sitting... and the kids went wild on her... needless to say... she NOW repsects my parenting and no Longer interferes...Sometimes ya just gotta try out a few things.. see what works with your child.. what she will respond positively towards...

Keep your chin up girl... I know its rough... But i also KNOW that that the terribles 2's are NOTHING compared to the teen years... hahaha... youll sit back and go hell the year 2 was easy compared to this.. LMAO..

[Resa]

Thanx, Angel.
See, no matter how many times I try to remind her father that we need to be on the same page- it's like he too is a two year old. I tell him no late naps, he brings her home knocked out when she should be eating dinner at 4 or 5- I tell him to sit her on the toilet a few times a day and ask her if she needs to go to the bathroom- "Oh, she didn't wanna". It's like when she comes home from being w/ him or his mother everything I try to teach her, I gotta start over. I do praise her as much as I can. Thanx for the advice Angel, I'll be sure to come back and read it everytime I'm about rip some more hair out!!

[~Journey~]

Yep! pretty much what she said!
For two, threes, fours.... possibly fives... then they turn 15... and don't want anything to do with a parent!!!

Good luck, don't sweat the really small stuff, stand up for the good (even if she disagrees) and enjoy every minute of it...

Oh... have another so she can teach all those tricks to on how to handle Mom.. LOL...


PS, Most Dad's are even harder to train.. errrr.. I mean .... getting to adhere to the program... yeah.. that's it.. LOL...

[Sparklebeadz]

i also KNOW that that the terribles 2's are NOTHING compared to the teen years... hahaha... youll sit back and go hell the year 2 was easy compared to this.. LMAO..

You can't be serious,,, it cant get worse than this. can it? i have a two yr old with an inverted mohawk(?) she cut a strip of hair right down the middle, crayons all over the walls, she gets into everything, and it seems that most of my life revolves around some sort of bodily function, if not from one kid, its from another. Im going crazy enough as it is.

[*Brown Eyed Gurl*]

I LOVE the terrible 2's....thats when they become thier own person....mine is the boss...he gets whatever he wants but hes the baby...the last 1...and hes smart and very independant...i love this time cus when he hits Kindergarten he will change...and u cant go back u can only go forward...aww gawwd blah mushy much..lol...

[Brisa26]

.

[AngelFeather]

You can't be serious,,, it cant get worse than this. can it? i have a two yr old with an inverted mohawk(?) she cut a strip of hair right down the middle, crayons all over the walls, she gets into everything, and it seems that most of my life revolves around some sort of bodily function, if not from one kid, its from another. Im going crazy enough as it is.

LOL Sparkle.. Im afraid it Does girl... and this day N age its worse than when we were young... Teens LOVE to use the I HAVE Righs act!!! Or Im calling the cops on ya.. I just tell my kids yeah go ahead call them in fact ill call them for you..LOL..I tell them the ONLY right you ahve is to be fed clothed educated, provided with a shelter and to be protected from wrong... The res Like Bday parties, phone, televison, rides to your frendz.. Money to go out with thier freinds... all that those arent rights they are privileges and there is NO law that states I have to GIVE you any of those things... I do becasue I Love you... and I do because you DESERVE them.... Its amazing how quick a kid will straighten out when you cut them off from thier social life.. Phone, internet ect.... Grounding these days doesnt work cause there are other methods in which they can communicate with the outside.. LOL....

The BEST thing tho Sparkle... IS when your teen comes to you hugs you and thanks you for being a mom... and listening to them and allowing them to feel.... When my girls and I have butted heads... we have walked away hurt and just frustrated but it ALL goes away when My daughter comes to me and says " MOm you were right... thankyou" thats the reward right there... the HUGS and the Thankyous... thats ALL i have ever asked from my kids in return.. to be apart of my life and thier family... becasue in the end you can switch your friends but ya cant switch your family.

With Teens its more of an emotional thing they know what gets you angry they know what words will hurt you... we think we KNOW our kids?? well yes in a sense we do.. but rememeber.. they KNOW you too.... LOL..

[Sparklebeadz]

Im calling the cops on ya.

My son has already called the cops twice! lol Once just to see if it worked, and another time when he was in big trouble with his daddy. Apparently he was sent to his room and grabbed the phone on his way and called 911 sobbing incoherently. thank goodness they called my husband back to see if everthing was alright before they sent someone to investigate. lol He still threatens to do it still! lmao I told him someday I'm going to be a cop and he wont be able to call anyone then. lmao

[Joe's Dad]

Geez! You all sound like a bunch of moms!!!

Actually, you all have some good points. When one of my daughters was a teenager, she threatened to run away. So I called the cops, told them what was happening, I wasn't gonna be responsible after she left the house.....then handed her the phone to talk to them. She changed her mind about running away! Now she's a mom and I'ved heard she's using my techniques on her child. She musta learned something.

This brings up another topic....Has the way of raising a child changed in the last generation or two. Like AF said, rule used to be "If you live under my roof, we're gonna do it by my rules" (my dad). And don't think you could do anything behind your parents back, cuz it always got back to them. Could it have been all those grandpas, grandmas, aunties and uncles?lol

Terrible twos....that's the age they are just learning. Instill in them discipline in a loving way, but hold your ground.

Do they still make belts and switches?

[Blackbear]

two's are nothing compared to age 3 LOL!! Angel gave some really really good advice. I just want to add to it, that even if dad does'nt keep up his end, BE CONSISTANT on your end! They crave the stability I tell you , it keeps them feeling safe. And don't let her run your around.. she needs to know it's ok to be without you for awhile so that you can shower, go to the toilet, etc. I lost my patience with my kid over that early on and figured, hey I give this kid everything, she's not taking my bathroom time too LOL!!

Sparklebeadz... been there, done that... two words for you WASHABLE CRAYONS.. ok and one more tip... MR CLEAN MAGIC ERASER <-- trust me they work with crayon like you would not believe!

[little wolf]

Ha ha, I'm past all of that.. I used to tell my daughter "just wait til you have your kids." Now when she calls ,e to complain all I do is laugh at her and say "Pay back time."...

[CJTurtle]

I loved the terrible two's compared to what im going through now LOL....they are "almost a teenager" im told, Just make sure you do have some MOM time!!!

[shyannmason]

My 2yr old doesn't listen to anyone at all she cries in public places and she never did that. She throws herself down and screams and me and her dad just take it day by day. She gets into everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She likes to rip things up in little pieces so imagine what our house looks like. But my son wasn't bad as she is. B ut I've learned that boys r more easier to handle than lil girls.

[dance_wit_me26]

And don't think you could do anything behind your parents back, cuz it always got back to them.

*s* my parents ran a very traditional and therefore strict household, but always very loving. Now that I have my own family, I'm grateful for all the values they instilled in me..:)

And Joe's Dad is right... even now I get calls from my dad, asking about things that I've only been thinking about, how he knows when to call just at the right times, I don't know, but I sure hope I learn to do that when my 2 kids hit their teenage years