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• Three Is Terribly Trying

  Which is worse – the vaunted "Terrible Twos" or the less-vaunted (probably because no one wants to talk about it because it would make parents who haven't been there yet throw themselves under a bus) Trying Threes? Back when my beautiful, bright, strong willed daughter was two and asserting her independence, I would roll my eyes and smile at other parents and just say "Two." They'd smile back – and then say "Three is worse." "That's not at all possible," I would think. "Surely, surely this behavior will resolve by age three." Read More... Posted Sep 13 2008, 11:02 AM by Amy Kuras with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: terrible twos, Ask Moxie, trying threes, ages and stages, three year olds, three and half, difficult ages, reader call, where is mommy's wine

• 5 Tried and True Excuses For A Toddler's Tantrum

  A toddler having a tantrum is bad enough but when that’s paired with the “public humiliation” of having to deal with a uncontrollable melt down in public, well that just sucks, big time (check out Redsy’s Post Top 10 Worst Places for your Child's Trantrum here). I feel compassion for those poor innocent bystanders, having to witness your child’s breakdown, even though they are staring, glaring and judging. When they give you a look like the evil “how dare you breed” stare or the sympathetic “I’ve so been there” sigh, many of us feel compelled to share with these strangers why our offspring is freaking out. Here are 5 excuses you can feel free to use when the toddler poop hits the public fan. They’re strangers so they don’t need to know if it’s true or not.   Read More... Posted Aug 29 2008, 01:47 PM by SunnyChanel with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: toddlers, tantrums, terrible twos, public humilation, break downs, freak outs

• Science Finally Explains Why the Terrible Two's Are Terrible

  If kids could skip an entire year and go from one to three, that would be just fine with me. My younger son is in the throes of the Two's about now (even though he's four, just doing things on his own timetable), and it is like living with the Toddler From Hell.  At that point they are all action and will, but little direction. So guess who bears the brunt of their frustration that Life Isn't What They Thought It Would be? That's right, you and me. And this is why: Read More... Posted Feb 22 2008, 06:10 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: toddlers, frustration, terrible twos, development, two-year-olds

• How To Love Your Toddler. Not As Easy As It Sounds.

  Just when you thought your sweet, compliant baby was switched with a demon changeling hellbent on driving you mad...Toddlerhood is a, um, challenging time. We all know the terrible twos suck. And so do the throttle-em threes, and the effin' fours. There's a mountain of advice on how to negotiate the toddler years (and beyond), and lots of it is just crap. So I was completely thrilled to find this list of really helpful tips at a dental plan website. This is sincerely good stuff. Who knew the same folks who care about our teeth also want to preserve our sanity? I'll be flossing tonight. I love this list because number one is "Cultivate empathy for your child. Kids begin to develop empathy (and therefore, the ability to play well with others) as they themselves feel understood." Very sound advice. Have you ever imagined yourself in your kid's position? Big people saying "no" and "do this" for inexplicable reasons all day long. I'd throw a couple thousand tantrums too. When I had my rare moments of empathy, it helped move away from being my kid's version of "the man".   I also like gems like this: "Feeding is the toddler’s job. You provide the healthy food. She feeds it to herself. Don’t obsess about how much she eats; kids don't starve themselves." Hey, you mean we don't have to hover over the little ones, shoving creatively disguised carrots into their hands so they don't die of malnutrition? Suh-weet. Any advice that allows parents to stop worrying so damn much seems pretty sage to me. Of course, we all screw up and forget the very best advice in moments of fatigue and stress and life, but it's nice to have something to shoot for.   Posted May 25 2007, 09:03 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: parenting, toddler, parenting advice, tantrums, terrible twos