did toddlers have tantrums 50 years ago?

[ClaraBowWasSoLovely]

Apologies - I bunged this in 'somewhere' yesterday due to computer illiteracy.
My children are in their forties and I don't remember any tantrums, no screaming, flailing, writhing on the floor (my marbles are intact).
I was 18 with my first, so was making it up as I went along.
Perhaps the world was quieter, calmer. We left our children outside shops!
No long distance travel.
Apparently (thanks, Google) other cultures don't experience toddler meltdowns. A writer asserted that the 'terrible twos' doesn't exist.
I'm ancient now, so no little ones of my own.
What do you older parents/grandparents think?

I am 59, my brother 57. His tantrums were so legendary we still talk about them!

My children are 2 and 4 and don’t have tantrums. I think it depends on the child not the era

I'm 25 had my first at 18 she never had tantrums she's 6 now soon to be 7! I think it's all about the parenting, I don't faf about my daughter is well behaved and knows what is right and wrong, we have a great relationship she knows I'm her mother and she's the daughter, all I have to do is give her a raised eyebrow and she will stop whatever she is doing, it's the way my parents brought me up I was well behaved and didn't cross the mark as a child. it's the parents that ask their children if they will do something and the kids say no. it's not will you clean your teeth it's go and clean your teeth

My mother in law who is 75 said to me when her kids were babies they used to just put them on the floor until they stopped crying!! No wonder my husband is a bit of an emotional cripple

Rose tinted hindsight. MIL said to me, shocked "my children never cried like that"

FIL piped up and said "oh yes they did, I remember walking in the house after work and all three were screaming"

I've lived in many different places OP and children of every culture have tantrums!

You forget quickly what it's like to have small children.

I used to hold my breath in a temper tantrum until I passed out that was sixty years ago and I can still remember the terrible out of control feeling and the shock when my mother put my face under the cold water tap to bring me round!

You probably just got lucky, my nearly 8 year old dd has never had a tantrum either, however dd2 has more than made up for it. I tho k your brain tends to filter out the bad bits though. Of course children had tantrums but they were probably dealt with differently so perhaps not as memorable!

So what was there to tantrum about?

Well, my daughter once asked me to peel her an apple and slice it, and when I had, she had a tantrum because I had, and I quote, "brokened the apple."

Toddlers are learning how to be human, and it's a tough gig. Logic is not really in the building.

Saw this link and thought of this thread.. www.mother.ly/child/two-year-olds-arent-terrible-theyre-just-learning-how-to-be-human#close

I don't remember my brother ever having a tantrum and I was an extremely placid child according to others. My two could be moany when asked to do something they didn't want to do (e.g. leave the beach to go home) but a screaming tantrum or throwing themselves around - no way!
My suspicion is that children who are unable to communicate their needs are more likely to resort to tantrums. Anybody agree with this?

DD2 has been talking in full sentences since 18 months old. She has absolutely no problems communicating. She’s now 2.3 and has epic tantrums for the bizarrest of reasons.
DD1 was slightly slower to talk. She’s never had a tantrum.

None of my 3 (twins and older brother with asd and intellectual disability )had toddler tantrums, they cried as babies, but talking seemed to stop that. They were smiley content kids, 3 kids under age 3 was hard work, but no tantrums and they napped and slept beautifully too.
However, 2 out of 3 are now definitely having teenage tantrums. Thankfully dd takes herself off to her room to scream and stamp about god knows what, but her older brother's disability means we suffer the full force of his hormonal upsets, they also stay awake until stupid o clock. Karma is a bastard😁

i think it's all about the parenting. I thought that too.. I thought I was amazing until my quirky, angry little second born appeared. It's honestly not a lot about the parenting at all!

I'm sure they always had tantrums but the way they were handled was probably very different. (or maybe not) but recently in supermarkets I've witnessed a father following his 2-3 year old child around the shop for at least 10 minutes begging him to come with him, and a grandfather doing that annoying threaten and don't follow through thing where they loudly tell naughty toddler that they will go home immediately and half an hour later they are still repeating the same empty threat as child continues to misbehave.
If I'd played up like that I would have got a smack or taken home straight away. Not cajoled and reasoned with. I would still have screamed though.

My toddler tantrums 50 years ago have gone down in family history.

And I cant answer for every culture but I have witnessed classic toddler tantrums in a middle eastern country and was told it's entirely normal for children of that country.

It's not about the parenting, at any rate mostly. DSis was an easy baby and toddler. I was a nightmare. We had the same mother who had been an excellent teacher, firm, fair, consistent.

Toddlers lives were very different. I had a working mother but was the exception.

Many women didn't have cars. Few supermarkets. TV was only available for part of the day. No coffee shops- going out for food was a massive treat

Maybe went to a toddler group once a week. Other than that most toddlers were at home or playing with neighbours children. Very limited world- quite calm.