To feel fed up with the EFFORT of daily life with a toddler.

[BlackCatinaWoollyhat]

I do love her lots but I feel like I have no more energy left today.
EVERYTHING is a battle!

At least your toddler is toddler sized; my 16 yo can have a toddler phase on the odd occasion which is hard as he is bigger than me and won't go and sit on the naughty step any more.

Jamie, I just spent several seconds there trying to work out who DVD was - dear very daughter, dear vice-daughter?!.... Very embarrassed..!

Blackcat - totally sympathise - I have a 2.5 year old, she is so funny and adorable one minute then absolutely insane and infuriating the next, then adorable again, then screaming and the top of her lungs and throwing toys and so on and so on. Such an exhausting rollercoaster sometimes.

YADNBU I feel your pain. My 2 year old dd had an almighty tantrum in lidl this morning, twas most embarrasing!! She's just at that not listening stage, joy!!!

YANBU

Wish I could make the font bigger.

sweetpea

YANBU, I could have written that myself. Having just had a weekend from hell with a teething, unwell toddler and unwell DH, I feel so guilty but it was a relief to have a morning at work today. The worst bit has been that DS hasn't wanted to know me all weekend, it's all been about Daddy and all I've had is screaming and wriggling to get away, which is soul destroying. Little things are always surprising though and make me realise why we're having another one- mid pg-related meltdown on Friday night in DH's arms I realised someone was patting my back and looked round to see DS saying 'Mummy better' and treating me like I treat him when he's upset. I'm glad to hear it does get better though as I'm already wondering what it's going to be like with a 2 year age gap!

Livia - my DS generally treats me like I have some particularly nasty communicable disease whenever any other family member is around - daddy, gran, favourite aunty, whoever. It is all "noooooo mummy not do it, daddy do it".

When no-one else is around he goes on like I am the centre of the universe. "Muuuuumeeee [kiss kiss hug]"

The word "whatever" is currently featuring quite heavily in my vocabulary!

YANBU of course, and I hope you have a better day tomorrow. Am sure nursery will help.

But I also wanted to say to HandMini that personally I'm finding it MILES easier with a toddler than I did with a newborn. So don't despair!

One good thing that I miss about toddlers is that they are portable... if you need to just drop stop and go, you can tuck them under you arm and remove them from the situation.

Tantrums from pre-schoolers and even from nearly six year old boys happen where they happen and you have to wait until they're finished. Dragging my DD home from school is a regular occurrence because she does jelly legs and lies down when she doesn't get her own way.

DS had a screaming fit outside the shops once, aged five, and I took it and took it and then snapped and OMG I managed to tuck a kicking screaming five year old under my (5'2") arm and power march with him all the way home leaving my cousin to bring my DD back in the buggy with her DS.

Don't know how I did it now... miss the "little" stage... there's no sense about them, but you're bigger and stronger than they are. LOL.

Perhaps I have forgotton the relentless tiredness of the baby and toddler stage, but I look back on it with fondness and I know I enjoyed it a lot more than I'm enjoying parenting now. Mine are 10, 8 and 5 and it still feels relentless, to be honest. I still spend most of my day doing boring things for other people. Housework, school runs, club runs, cooking, homework, bum wiping, teeth cleaning, refereeing arguments. They are so noisy and argue constantly with each other. Dealing with issues at school and their friendship issues. I find it really really hard work emotionally and mentally and I'm not enjoying it much at the moment.

Quinn - Do you work? mine are 8 and 11 and I have been much happier since I have gone back to work (first voluntary, then paid).

Completly agree!

I am so sick of the stupid tantrums over everything! The food she will eat, what juice cup, walking, getting dressed... I could go on for hours.

My DD has had two spectacular tantrums today; first was over bloody party ring biscuits as she had hers and I had mine, equal amounts so you'd think it would be ok, but NOOO she wanted mine and hers and ended in a full on screaming session.

Second was in town after making the mistake of letting her walk, so kept touching things so I put her back into pushchair and cue ridgid stone straight toddler who refuses to bend so I can't strap her in and everyones watching

Grrrrr

Oh God I could have written this.

DS1 is very verbal and I find myself having daft arguments with him, then I suddenly think 'hang on, I'm in charge here'.

So, so wearing. Especially when they are still not 100% potty trained.

Alibaba - sometimes I'd catch myself in an argument and then look down and see what a baby they were. It is disconcerting. Also that feeling that you are being ruled by a little mini-Mussolini

YANBU. I've had a hell of a day with my toddler DS. He has had one tantrum after another all day. He screamed the place down when we went to the cafe this morning, and we had to leave sooner than we'd planned. I was so glad when I dropped him at nursery this afternoon. Two whole hours of peace :).

I read all the "cutted up pear" threads before in wonderment but now I understand. It's only once that you try to cut up weetabix and get extreme disapproval from the little dictator. It is not to his liking like that.

Stranded - one of my most treasured photos (and, incidently, a good one to threaten to show to their friends ), is DS1 in his Thomas pants, and DS2 in a vest, wellies, with willy on show and a chair on his head. Happy days.

tiredness and hunger have a lot to answer for

Ahh, the days with toddlers are sent to test us!

I saw a poster on Etsy recently that summed up parenting quite succinctly, it simply said:

"THE DAYS ARE LONG, BUT THE YEARS ARE SHORT".

Too true!!

Jamie - exactly. DH and I are both guilty of expecting more of him than he is capable of, emotionally, because his speech is so good.

One of his favourites at the moment when he doesn't want to do something, is 'no Mummy, there is no time!', which is what I say to him when he wants to put Cars on 10 minutes before we are going out the door.

Totally adore him though

I have a two year old and she is the cutest, funniest, lovliest little person.
However, she drives me nuts quite often, hard work! I find her being at nursery 2 days a week really helps. I remember DD2 getting easier at 2.5 then 3. And DD3 has got a bit easier since she reached 2.5 too.

in complete agreement with all of the above. DS is 2 and a bit and DC2 is due in 4 weeks - i'm terrified.

DMIL (single parent of 4) has a good comment about whether to give in on battles or not - apparently you should ask yourself who is in control?

nice idea except every time it clearly demonstrates it is not me.