Does it get easier? Terrible twos

[nespressowoo]

Oh god my toddler has nearly destroyed me today. For a large part of the day he's been fine then he turns into an absolute nightmare, screaming at me, head butting me, telling me to ssshhh. The neighbours heard his melt down.

Sunday was so awful I was sobbing, normally when he sees me upset he's cuddling me and asking me if I'm ok. But he didn't give a shit.

It's like trying to tame a tiger - I think that would be a damn bit easier. His appetite is awful, he will only eat pasta or fish fingers. Sometimes he will take an omelette if I'm lucky. I have to distract him to make him eat. Meal times are so so stressful.

I'm on my knees. He's destroyed my shoulder, I'm in agony with it by the end of the day from carrying him.

We are treading on egg shells so he doesn't fly off the handle.

He's good as gold in nursery and with grandparents. Why is he like this with me and his dad?

I can't believe I want another 😂 obviously I love him so very much, but my god he's hard work at the moment.

My God totally with you on this one! Add zero patience and wanting everything exactly the way the want it and it's a whinge town in our house.
And she's almost 3 so I was hoping the terrible twos would be winding down by now.... Same as you, an angel at nursery and the nursery workers struggle to believe some of the stories we tell them!

My mantra is "it's just a phase". I've been saying that A LOT recently

Oh my gosh yes. They want everything yesterday. He's nearly 3 too. I just can't reason with him sometimes.

Another thing he does it spit on the floor when he's having a tantrum. Disgusting!

Lots of coffee and wine to you! It's the only way 😂

Above all don't worry about what the neighbours hear. Unless they or their own offspring fell to earth fully formed as reasonable adults they should understand!
You don't say when he started nursery or how often he sees his grandparents but I've seen our grandson transform from sunny little boy to quite frankly a little beast when he's back with his parents .
It's so hard for you to cope with but at least your DH or partner gets the same treatment so try to weather the storm . It will pass - honestly x and you are doing the best you can x

Should have said he's having to make a lot of adjustments which don't come easy . Plus being overtired doesn't help . Our grandson is going through a stage where he screams to get whatever he wants when he's with our daughter . He will ask nicely when we ask him - thank goodness we all play good cop / bad cop with him which avoids him being able to divide and rule the adults . No tantrums in the middle of the supermarket yet but it'll happen ( it did with his Mum! )

@MrsRufusdog789 thank you - that means so much x

He started nursery just after his first birthday and goes two days a week, either set of grandparents (mostly my lovely ILs) have him one day too. I only work 3 days. ILs see him turn with me and are wonderful trying to diffuse the situation.

My neighbour directly attached to us is wonderful, she's a paediatrician and has older children. Other neighbours just passed a funny comment to my husband today when he got in, only in that husband said 'I need to get in to give her a hand as he's been screaming' they laughed and said 'we heard' in a sympathetic way apparently.

He is such a loving little boy but goodness me his temper is fierce and he is so independent - my husband says 'he's his mothers son' 😂

It’s a very difficult age. I find they are less of an arsehole around three and a half. Only a year to go for me, help!

It passes. It doesn't feel like it ever will but it does. Once he's 3 and can communicate better he won't get so angry.

It does end, I promise.

I remember when ds1 was going through the terrible twos - it came to a head one morning, when he was well into his first tantrum of the day before 9am, having had a one-and-a-half hour tantrum the night before - and I was on the phone to dh in tears, saying I just couldn’t cope - when it went quiet - and as we all know silence is really suspicious when you have a toddler!

I finished the call to dh, and went to find ds1 - he was in the kitchen, at the bin, eating some leftover tortilla chips dh had thrown in their the night before.

But that’s not the worst bit. I looked at him, enjoying his delicious bin snack, and I knew with absolute certainty that if I took him away from the bin, he’d start screaming again, and I just couldn’t face it - so I let him carry on eating until he got bored and wandered off. Then I emptied the bin, and found somewhere to put it out of his reach.

We both survived this incident (he must have had a cast iron digestion) and the toddler tantrum years - and I survived them with ds2 and ds3 too - so it can be done. They are now 22, 24 and 26 but I still remember how endless those years felt, so you have all my sympathy if you are going through it now, @nespressowoo and anyone else on here too.

Tell yourselves it will end - and in the meantime, if you aren’t letting your children eat rubbish, you are coping with it better than I did.

This makes me feel better. I love DS who is 2.2 but he's so hard to be around with the constant hitting and tantrums.

There's no way I could face having another child, I can't cope with this one!

Ah thanks, everyone. Makes us feel less alone. I nearly put that he's an arsehole in my OP but thought I'd get flamed 😂 he is an arsehole at times, so infuriating.

No rubbish eaten yet but he did eat a crusty leaf today!

He's in bed now and it is BLISS. just wish I had some wine!