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!

YANBU, I have DD (almost 3yo), DS1 (21 months) and DS2 (3 weeks) and some days I'm counting down the hours until bedtime. A newborn seems so easy in comparison to two non-sleeping toddlers. gets me through the day.

It's the constant battles that wear me down, over everything from getting dressed to what to eat. DD starts nursery in January so I'm hoping that will help

I feel the same! This thread has been a good read for me.

JinxAndFluff - your comment has helped me a bit because I feel I am always complaining about DD to people and often feel like I'm the only one that finds it so hard.

Hairy Beaver - giggling away at your description of your toddler!

Phee - I will be you in a few months time! The newborn bit (nightfeeds - sob)is terrifying me a lot more than the toddlers (and they are fairly scarey too). If you can do it then I can too :)

Lynz - you aren't alone. You just don't find many people in RL who admit it. When mine went to school I felt like my head was above water for the first time in years. I realised how anxious I used to feel a lot of the time - in cafes (would we manage to eat a whole meal before someone had a tantrum?), in parks (would someone push or bite someone?)

I do think that toddlers put you in touch with your own inner-unreasonable-person. I would have loved to have lain down on the floor and had a humdinger of a tantrum at times.

has been talking at me since 6am this morning,im frazzled.yanbu.i found dd1 was easier from 4 years old.

Got a toddler AND a 6 week baby who still feeds constantly and won't be put down. Everything is damage limitation. Plus toddler ds has had vomiting bug since last Wednesday, and I came down with it too. Peppa pig has been my saving grace.

I can't even have a drink. I just posted because I am feeling very sorry for myself. :(

aw petaluma - i've been there. It is all fire-fighting. Wait 'til the baby starts smiling and his brother, and when they start to talk to each other. It's fab

You are right, it is totally exhausting, day after day, and also a bit boring

Having a threenager and teenager in the house at the same time is a joy! If it's not one it's the other and if they both tantrum at the same time my happiness is complete. Thank goodness for dd. At least at eight she is in the brief reasonable stage!
Chin up op. Tomorrow is another day.

It doesn't get better. If I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I'd have never had children.

jened - can I test out my theory on you?

which is that toddlers and teens have a lot in common:

transition between baby/child, and child/adult

yearning for independence, but fear as well

therefore testing of boundaries

egocentricity

emotional instability

iF SO, Poor you. Poor me in a couple of years

Thanks all for the replies, It's good to know that I'm not the only one finding it hard sometimes.
She seems to have calmed down since earlier on but will now not eat any dinner. oh the joys!

I have now gone for the turn the tele off option and she is now sitting at table starting to eat.
oh no. got down again.

what gets me is when people tell you how they understand so much more than they can communicate - in that case why does DS (2.4) REFUSE to learn NOT to touch the light switches - he must have been told ten zillion times. The cutted up pear thread had me crying with laughter. DS does exactly the same "thomas thomas thomas" "ok thomas" "nononono Pep Pep Pep Holly Holly Pep" "ok Pep" NOOOO Thomas.... and so on. I'm sure the built in cuteness is there as an evolutionary thing so you don;t actually kill them before they reach the age of 5!

God, you are SO not being unreasonable. I have a 1 and a 2 year old and they are hard work. DH has been away for the last week, incl weekend, and I am at the end of my tether - another 4 days before I get any sort of respite.

I do not not how single parents do it.

It is just the utter relentlessness of it. DD is 15 months and wails the minute I put her down or walk out of the room. One, if not both of them are in with me, if not ON me every time I go to the bloody loo. I don't get a moment's peace!

I feel for those of you who have more than one dc under the age of 5. That must be So hard.
Mine have a 5 year age gap so are at different stages.

I hope it comes into its own as they get older, being so close in age they will have interests in common and be playmates for each other so that I can mainline wine and MN in peace.

If they can't stand the sight of each other it's going to be sheer hell for years yet.

I have an 19 months old and God yes it is hard! She is also a non sleeper and has never slept through the night, not even close.

But, give me a toddler over a newborn any day. I love the interaction you get, just having another little person around the house to chat to, play with and generally bump along with. Maybe I feel more like this because I am a single parent so the newborn bit was especially lonely with no one to communicate with.

Yes, it does get better. Mine is 3.5 and the days can still feel long and stressful but since she started preschool two months ago the tantrums have drastically reduced and she's becoming easier to reason with. I expect it to get better from now on

YY to everything!

I look at DD (2.2) and pine for the newborn stage where she just fed and slept, I could sleep when she slept. Lazy days in front of the TV whilst she fed. Ah rose tinted maybe but darn toddlers are hard!

What i don't get is how ds can do the same 'naughty' thugs every single day. Opening cupboards, climbing on the table, kicking me at nappy change time, screaming if I don't put bloody fireman Sam on the tv. Every day. How many times do I have to say no (especially to dangerous stuff or violence) before he gets it? Will I still be saying "no kicking" when he's 10?

Naughty thugs? Naughty things.

Case in point while we were putting the boys to bed.

I had to go to the loo, and DS1 (3.4) followed me in there with a book.

DS1 'Mummy please read this book to me'
Me 'No DS1, I'm having a wee'
DS1 'Mummy pleeeeeeeease'
Me 'No, I'm just flushing and then washing my hands, we will read in a minute in your bed'
DS1 'Mummy wee again so that you can read to me on the toilet'
Me

YY somedays I come so close to murder. "BEEEBIES, PLEAAASE, BEEEEBIES MAMA PLEAAASSSE" whereupon will throw himself on the floor agonising over my refusal. Also YY to the repetitive no:

Not to remove books from shelf
Stay out of bathroom
Do not go in mummy's drawer
Don't hit your brother

On loop and repeat daily for six months. I may as well tape myself.