The Terrible Twos: 3 Tips to Keep You Ahead of the Game

Ah, the terrible twos. In our house, we simply refer to this age as the year in which we are really going to spend more time traveling – without the kids (like we can leave them for long periods of time without missing their behavior like crazy). The terrible twos are a stage in which all kids seem to be out of their minds. You can’t change it. You can’t stop it. You stay home more. You lock yourself in the bathroom more. And you try to extend naptime as long as you possibly can (8, 9 hours? 8,9 months?). Here’s a little advice from a mom who’s been through the terrible twos not once, but twice – and a third time in a few years.

Know Your Triggers

Does your sweet and darling little angel (hahahahahahahaha!) seem to have the worst tantrums when she’s tired? Okay then, let’s stop going to the supermarket just before naptime and expecting God to grant miracles. It’s not going to happen. Work around triggers. Eliminate them from everyday situations and the twos suddenly don’t seem so bad.

Offer Choices

Two-year-olds can be little bullies (but we love them). They want to exercise their ownership rights over you and you cannot let them win. Stand united moms and dads; don’t let the toddlers win! One way to do this is to use your intelligence. They’re cute but for the moment, you are still the smarter species. Offer them two choices for most things. It will eliminate many tantrums because you are offering your terrible two the chance to exercise her decision making skills, making her feel as if she is getting what she wants. This equates to her feeling like she’s winning.

Have Some Patience

Um, excuse me? Excuse me, you can’t finish reading this if you’re rolling around the floor laughing. I know, patience is not easy with a child this age. In fact, mine took a long vacation many times. But…you have to try. Try very hard. Remember that kids are two and there’s just nothing you can do about that.  So, your option is to be patient and remember that some crazy and senile day in the future you will look back on this behavior and miss it. Please, stop laughing. You will miss it.