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!

LeQueen I love you! I have 2DD also, less than 18 months apart and whenever I have a bad day I am going to re-read this section of your post:

"Nowadays (they're 7&8) they get in from school, take themselves up to the playroom until tea time, after tea they load the dishwasher, tackle their homework, then they bath themselves and read to themselves before bed-time.
I chat with them, and swan around with a cup of tea just mildly supervising proceedings...in fact nowadays DD1 even makes me my cup of tea"

God, that sounds good.

YANBU

DS is only 20 months old but I can safely say that I really am not looking forward to the next couple of years!

He thinks the word "no" is hilarious (I stupidly thought the novelty may have worn off after a year) - can no longer be bothered explaining to visitors as to why anything remotely valuable/breakable is suspended from the ceiling
He persuades friends/family (especially his Grandparents) that butter definitely doesn't melt
He doesn't talk, yet says the word "please" perfectly when it suits him
He is quite happy playing with his toys until he sees that I'm no longer doing housework but am actually (heaven forbid) sitting down and watching TV

An added bonus being that he was awake from 1.30am until 7.30pm today - which is obviously in my favour because it means that I have all those extra hours of joy

:o :o at the extra hours of joy!!

YANBU they are fecking exhausting would gladly swap for a new born. the other day DD ordered breakfast "TOAST!!" then teddy wanted toast with jam, then dolly wanted cereal and doggy wanted a banana and when i brought in toast with jam and a banana there was a major meltdown that took forever to calm down. today we had full scale tantrum because i pulled her away from neighbours cat then when she slipped out of my hand after kicking my shin went over to cat and got scrabbed because she pulled his tail causing more tears. plus the usual daily demands of what clothes what cup etc that go the usual way "want x" mummy gets x "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! want Y!!" mummy gets y, y is thrown away and screaming begins for X.

We became new parents to an active 18mo little boy back in March. While the adoption prep course prepared us for potential issues it did nothing to prepare us for how damn exhausting raising a lively toddler was going to be! The thing that surprised me the most was the noise level. Besides him screaming and shouting he had 3 or 4 musical toys playing at once because he has the attention span of a gnat. It was particularly difficult at the beginning because we didn't love him yet. Fortunately I was made redundant in Feb so both of us were home for the first 6 months. This made us able to relieve each other when things got too intense.

I'm happy to say that he has now settled in nicely, we've gotten a used to his activity level and we love the little guy more than anything!

YANBU, toadlers are a PITA.

This is why the little snots are cute, so they can REALLY fuck with your head!

I have a 2 year old DD, and I'm trying to enjoy this time, as I can hardly remember by 5 and 7 year old DSs being this age! It flies by so quickly, its scary.

I am trying to be more laid back and picking my arguments.

DS1 never went through the tantrum stage at all, however, DS2 definitely made up for it.

DD1 is more like DS2 unfortunately, but not quite as strong willed .... yet!

YANBU, it is exhausting.

I have DD1 who is 2 1/2 and thinks that by repeating a request numerous times, she will get what she wants, despite it never having worked yet. So I get endless "CBeebies", "Not now", "Please CBeebies", "No", ad infinitum. Her language is very good, but her reasoning not so much.

On top of that, DD1 is 8 months old and teething, so not sleeping through consistently yet. And having hour long feeds in the night sometimes too.

But DD2 has this wonderful baby laugh (just like those follow on milk ads), and is most often directed at DD1 - she makes her laugh for some reason - and when they're laughing together, it makes my day.

petaluma I feel your pain, I have a 10 week old dS2 and a 2.6year old DS1, and I have watched Postman Pat and the Pot of Gold about 300 times since the beginning of the latest growth spurt.

Actually having a blissful 5 mins as DS2 eats his weetabix like an angel (no complaints about amount of milk/bowl choice/colour of spoon or bib etc) and DS1 is miraculously asleep without a boob in his mouth. Mmm caffeine.

Morloth was toadlers a typo? Cos I think it's pretty accurate if it is!

i loved the toddler stage all full of excitment and everythings new. now my daughters nine all i get is cheek.

Nope, not a typo, a nickname for DS2 (20mths).

I have a 3 yo DD and a 17 wo DS. I remember trying to explain to DH a few months ago how utterly relentless and exhausting it was having to negotiate/persuade/bribe/coerce every single minute of the day to avoid tantrums etc. Plus yes, the constant anxiety, looking ahead for flashpoints, wondering if you're going to get through a meal/shopping trip etc. I was so jealous of him getting to go to work! I don't think he got it

I was working two days a week and loved it but got made redundant/fired/told not to come back shortly after DS was born. I was and am absolutely gutted, it was like a lifeline.

DD is actually much better these days so I'm being a little unfair - she's stepped up to being a big sister pretty well I think Still utterly exhausting though. I was actually dreading having a newborn again because I found that stage so damn boring last time, but actually it's lovely having someone who doesn't argue and is easy to carry around/put in car seat etc :)

Think my favourite meltdown yet was the one she had at about 4 pm in the car on the way home from somewhere because she suddenly decided that she didn't want to have had lunch wherever we'd had it but to have had it at granny's instead (hope my tenses are making sense here). It was completely hilarious plus very easy to deal with because I just agreed that we had had lunch at granny's and she calmed right down

LeQueen - I thank you so much for that lovely story!! I too, dream of that when mine are younger...I just hope it gets as good as that!

I have a just gone 3yr old and a 15 month old. Needless to say I am exhausted! My 3yr old DS has been upping the frequency and intensity of his tantrums recently and every thing is a battle. Although when he is behaving he is lovely and interesting to be with.
15 month old DD is into everything. Is constantly on the go. I'm forever running off after her, or putting back things that she's bulldozed through and say we go to the library, I can't even read a book with DS, as I am picking up and putting back the books that DD has thrown all over the place.
I'm potty training DS, and although he si good at doing wees in the toilet, won't do poos, so there is generally mess. DD has her own mind now and doesn't want to just accompany us to where me and DS wants to go (like if I need to take DS to the toilet), so I get meltdowns from her too, and she can't he distracted with anything either. DS is equally stubborn and won't respond to bribary either.

I work 3 days a week, which is such a relief. I worm Mon-Wed...and by Mon morning, I practically throw them into nursery and run into work, sit down and have a cup of tea!

DS2 head butts when displeased.

Anything really, me, the wall, the car, passersby, we have taken to totally blanking this behaviour if possible because the little stinker will do it again immediately if you respond in anyway.

He also bites his brother when overtired, only his brother, will cross a room with a look in his eye that DS1 has learned to recognise.

He has come as something of a shock after my easy going PFB.

But then he does something completely adorable and we are all putty again. He adores DS1 and just about gets sick with excitement at school pick up time.

It will pass, the tantrums never ever work so he will figure it out. Until then there is wine and possibly hard drugs.

I'm currently being shouted at by my DD for singing along to Ed sheeran

I remembered this thread with gratitude as I waddled into nursery this morning with a screaming, shrieking DS pinned under my arm.

The reason? I wanted him to put his shoes and socks on before walking across the carpark. He wanted to wear his socks on his hands and walk barefoot.

I left him tantrumming on the floor in the middle of a circle of judgemental 2 year-olds all looking at him like he had taken leave of his senses. I am hoping this is a lesson in social embarrassment.......

We've just had a 15 minute tantrum... DS (2) was being a shit at toddler group - he's that child, you know the one that snatches toys, pushes other kids out the way etc - so having threatened to leave early, we did, and Buzz Lightyear has been put away until he learns to behave... 15 minutes later, he decided that screaming wasn't going to get him what he wants (I stepped over him, TV on loud and ignored) so he came through and cuddled me and said "sorry mummy". Just as well he's so cute...

YANBU. I've got 2 of the lovelies (aged almost 1 & 2), and I could have written your post myself. Currently hiding from extremely high maintenance 2 yr old DD in the kitchen having stuck Shrek DVD on (but feel enormously guilty for resorting to this tactic), DS asleep thankfully. I find myself desperate for the loo half the day owing to the sheer effort of transporting them both upstairs then back down again for the sake of a wee-wee. Half the time I only remember at 6pm that I haven't eaten since the day before. Yet loads of people comment about how laid-back-but-organised I am and how well I manage with the two of them, except this is what I DO and not how I FEEL iyswim.

I just try to take from it the brilliant/lovely/wouldn't change for the world moments and limp as best as I can through the hard parts keeping in mind that one day I'll miss it and wish I could have it all back again!

You are not alone!

Pursang Your post is me exactly, I constantly have people at baby group tell me how great I am at managing the two of them, 1yr & 2yrs, I think its because I'm the only mum who goes to that group with two. Thing is, that its not how I feel at all, I am constantly playing catch up with myself and frankly I'm amazed they can't see that.

I try to make sure we do something fun, interesting and interactive every morning, so they are out and active and to wear them out a bit. In the afternoon we have a play in the house, maybe friends over for a play then I shamelessly put CBeebies on and tidy up and make some dinner, often hiding in the kitchen to have my first cup of tea of the day at about 5pm!
And having a wee in the day? Ha! I wish now we'd bought a house with a downstairs toilet, that would be my only hope of having a wee.

i give you a 3 1/2yr old, 2yr old, 9month old. i'm looking up hotels and dreaming of a night away. maybe 2 nights. alone. maybe dh can come, will think about it.

my 2yr old has been talking, singing, bashing non-stop since 6:30. am waiting for him to join his 3yr old and 9month old brother in an afternoon nap so i can get some peace and quiet. and maybe a 5min nap too.

"I give you a 3 1/2yr old, 2yr old, 9month old..." No, please don't!

You are me? Writing in 'off' mode. Have 18mo DS who I am happy to donate in days like today! Hate working part time now as days at home now drive me to tears. I feel physically ill with exhaustion. Love him too much and that's where the crunch is!

I remember the newborn and toddler stage with fond affection but can confirm I was always knackered. I wonder who has now placed this seven and a half year old in my house who has an answer for everything?

Yanbu.

But it's worse when they are teenagers.

(disclaimer - I don't have a teenager)