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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that my daughter aged 3 had the most pointless tantrum in the world

161 replies

ReallyTired · 04/05/2012 18:37

DD is angry because I flushed away her poo. She wanted Daddy to flush the poo away. I am not having her poo stinking out our bathroom for the next two hours. She has been potty trained since christmas and should be growing out of this poo fasination.

Does she get the mumsnet vote for the daftest tantrum of the day.

OP posts:
IllegitimateGruffal0Child · 05/05/2012 17:04

6 hours??? You must have been there until midnight!

laughlovelife · 05/05/2012 17:09

Ive had a 3 year old and a 6 year old have hysterical tantrums, as horrible parents we are decluttered their bedrooms and got rid of broken and out grown toys damn toy story3

RabidAnchovy · 05/05/2012 17:18

This made me laugh

Pandemoniaa · 05/05/2012 17:29

But, I am certain that if you spoke to mothers who were bringing up children in the 50s or earlier these stories would be unheard of.

I gave birth to King Tantrum 31 years ago next month. Up to the age of 5 he showed a positive enthusiasm for going off on one about pretty much anything and the more inconsequential (or contrary) the incident, the more ferocious the tantrum. One of his grandmothers (my former MIL) assured me that none of her angelic children - brought up in the 1950s ever behaved like that. I ignored her. Especially her pfb my ex-h could have won an Olympic medal for sheer awkwardness and it was clear that he was no less difficult as a small child.

On the other hand, ds1's other grandmother, my own dm, was was a realist with a very long memory and she amused my dcs when they were small with tales of my own unreasonability. In one instance, aged 2.5, I had such an enormous tantrum about being put in my pushchair in order to return to the station after a lovely day out, that I dangled my feet on the ground and deliberately scraped all the leather off the front my lovely brand new red shoes as I was pushed along.

However, my dcs were fondest of the story dm told them about when (aged nearly 3) I threw a mighty strop on Brighton beach because the sea was going in the wrong direction. Apparently I rolled around on the pebbles roaring my tantrummy head off for some minutes before concluding proceedings by wetting my pants.

Both these events occurred in 1956. So be assured, tantrums are not a recent invention!

finnbarr · 05/05/2012 18:15

My then 6 yr old DSS had a full blown screaming fit because I had dared to pass him a mini roll. Which he wanted. But now don't want. So it got eaten by his big brother. Cue a screaming head banging hand biting kicking tantrum interspersed with wails of "all I want is a mi-hi-hi-ni rooooooooll!!!!!"
Then when his dad got the giggles about how ridiculous it all was got told...by his 6 yr old
"daddy...do you think it's appropriate to be laughing at a six year old? Ill tell you it's completely inappropriate!!"
Well...that told us!!
He's 8 now and still has tantrums of epic proportions!!

MsPickle · 05/05/2012 19:58

"spider light" it took me ages to read yours as I laughed so hard I wept! Loving these tales. I was a super tantrum thrower but haven't lost my temper in 10 years as I hate myself when I do and value my relationships too much to jeopardise them. My ds has had tantrums (wrong stones available on path park, buggy/no buggy want pasta for tea, no pasta etc) and at 2.5 most of them are clearly tantrums. I haven't seen any signs that he's asd or similar but he's also had meltdowns and I think I have had them too when little, it's like the 'rage' consumes him and there's nothing to be done until it passes. Our shared nanny has only seen one, she didn't really get what I meant until she did. I have to sit on the floor and hang onto him else he could really hurt himself. I'm terrified that I'll have to do one outside the home and will lose him and he'll get hurt. So sometimes I remember to be thankful for the tantrums (another favourite is him wanting me to turn off the glow in the dark stars in his room) as they mean he's letting enough out to avoid melting. Does that make sense to anyone else?! mind you in the moment what I'd really like is a tranquilliser gun which either delivered rational thought or allowed him to communicate the real but irrational problem with less noise and snot

NagooIsBuildingAnArk · 05/05/2012 20:50

Fucking hell, if you didn't want your pudding you didn't want your pudding.

I'd say Ma Wonkeylegs was having a tantrum of her own then... :(

mumeeee · 05/05/2012 23:10

DD3 now 20 had a huge tantrum at the age of about 3 because DH parked the car by some motor bikes, We got out of the car to go to a cafe for lunch but she screamed so loudly on the way that we ended up going back to the car and moving it somewhere else.

BlueRinse · 05/05/2012 23:21

I thought of this thread at 19.35pm this evening whilst I was sitting on the floor of DD3's bedroom choosing a story.

Apparently I wasn't meant to choose the story but she couldn't choose the story either.

I wasn't to helpfully find a book we haden't even read yet because how will we know she will enjoy it and if she didn't enjoy it she wouldn't be able to sleep.

I wasn't allowed to count to 10 for her to choose a story and the offer of no choosing = not having a story wasn't met well by my 4yr old.

After a story was finally picked and read I wasn't allowed to kiss her cheek, it had to be her forehead and no way could I kiss her lips.
Oh and I cuddle her too hard apparently, I used to do it right but not now...........

Biscuitbreaker · 05/05/2012 23:34

This thread made me laugh so hard - the notion of photographing a poo! It's also made me a bit terrified... Wink

Just5minspeace · 06/05/2012 00:14

I haven't laughed so much for ages! It is good to know I'm not the only mean mummy who can't do right for doing wrong.... :)

wineandroses · 06/05/2012 07:59

Personal favourites when DD was around 2-3 years and prone to the screaming ab-dabs whilst running around the house waving her arms above her head:

  • the cornflakes came out of the box the wrong way round;
  • not being allowed to wear her knickers on her head outside the house;
  • the toast was just "dig-custing and broken";
  • mummy and daddy should only kiss her and not each other;
  • her dead ladybird (named sarah) wouldn't fly.
giraffesCantDonateBoneMarrow · 06/05/2012 09:41

RIP Sarah :(

TheFlyingFishFinger · 06/05/2012 15:59

Hahaha love these!

DD had some comical meltdowns when she was a toddler, there's a type of food that is like her name when abbreviated, I told her and showed her the food in sainsburys, and she went absolutely ape shit. She started a stand off debate about it in the middle of the shop and gathered quite a crowd.

She also had a weekly tantrum because I wouldn't let her wear her swimming costume to school. The hell sent mother that I am.

trinitybleu · 06/05/2012 23:25

Fab thread! Cheered me up after poor DD(5) had a tantrum at 2am as she was sick of being poorly. She has tracheitis. Cue not wanting hugs / wanting hugs / "why can't you take it away Mumny? / wanting meds / not wanting meds. Concluded with me sat up cuddling her to sleep to ease the cough.

MakeHayAndSneeze · 07/05/2012 07:03

Ah yes, wineandroses, I recognise the last one there - dd (3.2) regularly has screeches when DH and I dare to cuddle or kiss.Confused

She just had a big wobbly because she didn't want to go to the zoo and get thrown in the water - we haven't been for ages, and certainly never threw her in the water (tempted sometimes....!). When she calmed down, and after a bit of questioning, it appears to have been a dream that she had...Grin

MakeHayAndSneeze · 07/05/2012 07:04

Disclaimer: I was, of course, joking about the water...
trinitybleu I hope your dd is on the mend. Sounds nasty.

Salhal · 07/05/2012 07:57

My mum told me with a totally straight face yesterday morning that neither myself or my brother ever had tantrums and that my two year old's tantrums were entirely the result of my bad parenting and the fact that I am a part time working mum (who leaves her child in her care). I basically told her she was talking shit and it was just the nature of the beast but she is having none of it. This thread has made me feel loads better. And for the record I am well stroppy even now so can't imagine I was angelic at 2!

SirSugar · 07/05/2012 08:11

DD once had a massive screaming strop in M&S because she didn't want me to buy a packet of biscuits. I put the basket down and left with her screaming and wailing whilst following me out.

antsypants · 07/05/2012 09:41

I have been on the receiving end of two strops this morning, the first being because I wouldn't tell her where her tree house was (she doesn't have one, I don't have a tree) and the second because she doesn't like mr bloom, apparently he is too noisy, bearing in mind the tv was not on... Grin

rogersmellyonthetelly · 07/05/2012 12:18

Neither of my two have been particularly bad for tantrums thank goodness, I did my time with my dsis who was 10 years younger than me and could tantrum for Britain. Best one I ever had was when she screamed for 2 hours solid because she wanted to put her knickers on her head to get in the bath instead of a shower cap. I can still see her little (purple tinged) face screwed up and screaming full volume "I want my knickers on my head!" she is expecting her first dc in a few months so I'm hoping there will be payback.

BlueAndRedMakePurple · 07/05/2012 12:25

DS2 had atantrum earlier because he wanted the cushion his sister was sat on, not because he wanted to sit on it-he just wanted to throw it on the floor Hmm. Half an hour later he got over himself!

Morloth · 07/05/2012 13:22

DS2 threw a fantastic wobbly on the weekend, the full screaming, hurling himself around kicking etc shebang.

The trigger? His big brother had offered him a sweet.

hackmum · 07/05/2012 13:23

I actually try not to remember my DD's tantrums, they were so awful. There was one terrible time where I got her a green balloon instead of a purple balloon and she screamed and shouted in her pushchair then let the balloon go. I chased after it and brought it back and she let it go again. I refused to get it again and she screamed all the way home.

My favourites were the times she woke up angry because of something I'd done in her dreams.

trinitybleu · 07/05/2012 21:19

MakeHay - thanks. She seems to be much better today. Defo much less coughing and no temp. Has been really bad, poor love.