To ask you to share the funniest reasons for your toddler's tantrums

[Foxglovesandsweetpeas]

I recently read "cutted up pear" and realised that there hasn't been a funny thread about unreasonable toddler tantrums for a while.

My ds aged 3 once had an hour long tantrum because the sausage kept falling out of his sandwich but that's pretty mild compared to some of the ones I've read about so please share.

[MaMisled]

I once stopped my 2 year old from lying on the floor in Asda, licking up the crumbs from a broken packet of custard creams! She screamed and kicked for half an hour!

[LuluJakey1]

I also have an almost 6 month old DD who has the cutest pout and trembly pet lip in the world, particularly if I take my car keycard off her.

[IStoleThisUsername]

When dd was 2/3 she had an almighty tantrum that lasted about 3 hours, accusing me of trying to make her drink 'bath' when she wanted a cup of tea. (I'd given her a cup of water)

[Willow2017]

I can barely remember my teens tantrums but I do remember him having a mega one in the supermarket full on lying on the floor kicking and yelling (cant remember what it was about) and trying to get him in his car seat after I had abandoned the trolley! It took forever, as soon as I got one arm in and grabbed the other the first one was out, bucking and screaming....I was a wreck after trying to talk to him, ignoring him for a few minutes and startring again, and giving up and putting everything I had into it to get him strapped in and get the hell away from people!!!

Someone once said that trying to put a tantruming kid into a car seat was like trying to keep an octopus in a string bag... they were bloody right!

I do remember a minded child not wanting to come home from the park. Had to carry them kicking and hitting and screaming under my arm as we had to take others home so we couldnt hang around in the park forever. Longest walk of my life...usually takes 5 minutes, took much longer having to dodge hands and feet and stop them escaping while making sure the others were always beside me and their constant questions as to why X was being horrid to me? 5 minutes after we got home they were all sweetness again!

[MaisieDotes]

Because I failed to be able to "wash a banana"- i.e. remove the brown spots from an unpeeled banana and make it a uniform yellow colour

NOoooooo! YOU WASH IT MAMA!! I LIKE A WASHED BANANA! A WASHED BANANAAAAAAA!!!

[catsarenice]

I remember my friend being late to meet me because her 2 year old DD had a strop as her shoes felt too 'footy'

[silkpyjamasallday]

DD is only 1 so I have much more of this to look forward to, she has such a temper when she is thwarted. This week DP took her into town in the buggy, while he was paying for something he had left her too close to the displays by the till, she took two pairs of reading glasses and they were out of the shop and half way down the road before DP noticed. He obviously took them off her and returned them to the shop. Then called me to say they were coming home and not doing a food shop because DD was screaming at the top of her lungs and thrashing around in the buggy. I could hear them coming back onto our road from inside the house she was so loud, she had screamed for the whole journey home. Tears stopped as soon as I gave her my glasses.

If I dare to utter the word 'no' I am met with screeches of 'nah mama nah mama nah nah nah'. She has just finished hitting me with her toy hammer and hit herself in the head because of her thrashing rage at being told 'no hitting, be gentle'.

[letsgomaths]

I get that parents need to let off steam, but a thread mocking children who are learning to cope with feelings - something we don't always master as adults- leaves a bit of a bad taste for me
WAAAAAAAHHH! Someone's spoiling our light-hearted thread, make it stop mummy, I want cutted up pear! (Throws toys out of pram and sobs)

I get where you're coming from though; I remember some of my own childish tantrums, and I don't like being mocked about them! (I seem to have an overly vivid memory of my own childhood.) I'm not so fond of smug threads about lying to children, because I remember being lied to about silly things. But there are worse things than a thread like this, such as mocking said children to their faces, laughing at their tears as they fall. Also, it can be very hard for us as adults to keep composed while the tantrum is happening, surrounded by the judgmental stares and tutting. We need to be able to let off steam about it, and this is the perfect place, rather than in front of the child.

FWIW I think it can be a bit cruel to tease children/teens about it when they're older, especially if done callously.

[phoenix1973]

I was trying to toilet train my nearly 3 year old (8 years ago) but she refused to put pants on. I had to get bloody peppa pig pants but she STILL refused. Every time she would grab onto her dirty nappy and swipe a clean one and try to put it on herself all the while screaming "I'm sick of talking bout these peppa pig pants!" 😲

She used to tell me "you is ruining my plans!" For any reason at all.

The word No would result in raging floods of tears, head banging, breath holding, passing out. Oh yeah, fond memories. 🙄

My partner used to let her out of the trolley at toys r us (idiot) and then wonder why she would physically drag the playhouse, climbing frame, balance bikes along the ground when we tried to leave the shop....she was THAT toddler and we were THOSE parents who people always stared at. Even the other toddlers used to stop and stare at her...

Walking.....tooo tired...into the buggy. Don't be silly! Ironing board, head banging tantrum.
In the buggy.... don't be silly.....she had been acting up all day so I put her in the buggy facing the wall whilst I chatted to my Dad.
All of a sudden she's next to me fucking laughing at us. She'd let herself out. She was 1.5 y.o.

Urgh. Thank god just the one. 😜

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

If you hate these threads, just don't read them. For most people still in the throes of dealing with them it is quite obvious that they are a sanity saver. My children are now 25 and nearly 24. I still remember the toddler years as the hardest of the lot. Good luck to all still navigating those choppy waters the best way you know how.

Should we never mock anyone who does something silly? In our family we mock each other all the time, not to demean or humiliate, but because sometimes something is just funny. Fortunately, we are all robust enough to take it. I think it's an important life skill to learn to laugh at oneself.

[Hiphopopotamus]

Right, consider me well and truly told! (And told to fuck off - bit unnecessary)

I was just putting my view forward - I'm sorry that it offended some. I know it sounds silly and I know most would never let their kids know this stuff at the time. I just think often kids become an easy target and sometimes it's good to just think differently about it. That's all

[yawning801]

Loving this thread.

I was in Tesco yesterday and witnessed a mother trying not to laugh as her son did an impersonation of a grumpy cat (yowling and hitting when being touched) because he wanted the butter, but in the margarine container. When she said "But it's not our butter and we don't need margarine!" he just wailed "MY BUTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MARARARAARINE!" or something of that ilk.

[Foxglovesandsweetpeas]

hiphop I agree it's good to think about things differently but I view mumsnet as a mostly supportive place where parents can sound off about the many challenges of parenting which at times can be difficult and isolating. Ultimately by letting off steam on here and keeping a sense of humour about it all we can then be better parents to our children because we've come on here to vent a bit and get some moral support.

I know some people enjoy the role of devil's advocate on mumsnet and I suspect you might be one of them ;-)

[PeapodBurgundy]

DS (19 months) has spent today in a 9-12 month t-shirt that he pulled from the stowed away baby clothes under our bed because he couldn't be persuaded into anything else and I didn't have the energy for the brewing tantrum.

[Foxglovesandsweetpeas]

Bless him peapod

Any time I used to put any of my dc's clothes into a charity shop bag I would have to hide it otherwise they'd prise themselves into them and insist they still fit whilst looking like the incredible hulk.

[RumbleMum]

DS2(3) made himself imaginary toast and had a meltdown because said imaginary toast had marmite on and he wanted plain imaginary toast instead.

Last month the existence of blackberries was A Major Issue.

[Ifonlylifewassimple]

DD is 2 and this week has had tantrums because...

I poured too much milk in to her bottle and she ended up with a big milk when she wanted a small milk

I wouldn't let her play with a knife.

Her poo went down the back of the toilet and was 'hiding' from her.

[minxypanda]

Great bit of light relief!

Once had a double meltdown DD1 (4) and DS1 (2) were distraught at the fact that they weren't twins.... couldn't be consoled by anything.... "Mama we get back in your tummy"..... erm.... that'll be a no!

[Daffodil397]

This morning my DD aged 21 months was trying to struggle out the front door with a massive super sized teddy we have in the house, about 4 feet tall.
Mummy: no no no
DD: much loud anguish
We were going to the park on my pushbike with her in the child seat, I had a brilliant mental image of how that would work!!

[Mummatron3000]

DS (almost 3) asked to make pancakes this morning. Then got upset when I asked him why he wasn't eating his pancakes "because I only like sprinkling the sauce on them mummy!"

[ShowMeWhatYouGot]

The teletubbies don't shut their house door when they leave!

We can't watch anymore.

[CoodleMoodle]

This might out me but I don't really care. DD(3.5) doesn't really have huge tantrums - she's furious about everything but it rarely escalates - but there was one really bad one from when she was just 3.

We needed to go and post a letter. She wanted to go on her scooter so we took it with us. About halfway there I nonchalantly said something about how it was a bit chilly and we should've put her Peppa jacket on. Cue "I WANT TO GO BACK AND GET MY PEPPA JACKET! I WANT TO GO HOME AND START AGAIN! I WANT MY PEPPA JAACCCCCKEEETTTTTT!!!!!!!!" over and over and over. We got to the box, posted the letter (she didn't want to, then snatched it off me as I was posting it, still screaming at me for her jacket), and she just kept on. Screamed as she scooted along on the way back, literally all the way. We got home, she's STILL shouting about her Peppa jacket, only now there's huge tears as well. "I WANT TO START AGAAAAAIIIINNN!!!" It was... not good.

And then when she first started preschool she hated me picking her up. All the other kids were so excited to see Mummy/Daddy, but not DD. Every day there were tiny versions of that tantrum, of the "NO, I DON'T WANT YOU MUMMY! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE PRESCHOOL! I DON'T WANT YOUUUUUU!!!" variety, which really made me feel good. She's better now.

[Foxglovesandsweetpeas]

Quite a few of these seem to be Peppa Pig related in some way www.mumsnet.com/emo/te/2.gif.pagespeed.ce.pqlGYGVWqX.gif

[Foxglovesandsweetpeas]

Oops meant to use a smile emoji but got that link instead!

[Loveisthelaw]

At two and a half. Because he wanted to see a picture of a volcano.