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’m in my 40s and used to have proper epic foot stamping ones. My dad found them highly entertaining and was sorry when I stopped doing them.

I remember having the screaming heebie jeebies and banging on the door of my room aged about 5. And that was 4 decades ago.

Rose-tinted shades I'm afraid.

I think parents didn't spend so much time with their children 50 yrs ago too.

My oldest didn't tantrum, not once. I genuinely thought it was due to my amazing parenting. My second has proved I haven't a clue!

In 20 years time I may say that my eldest didn't tantrum. He has, but only maybe 4 or 5 times in his life (so far!) That may be pretty easy to forget. My youngest however, would have 4or 5 a week. You don't forget that!

I think people have selective memories on the whole. My MIL likes to claim all her kids slept through. To me that means bedtime til a reasonable 7am. To her it means midnight to 5am.

Kids tantrum. Got nothing to do with modern life, being spoilt or not being smacked. And French kids are certainly capable of tantrums judging by the one I witnessed not so long ago.

I dont think it were as frequent as now as children were frightened of their parents years ago that you darent kick and scream etc.

Im 54,and I can remember my DM saying about 10 years ago that 'children NEVER had tantrums or misbehaved whilst out in public when you were young'. I used to take this with a pinch of salt. Rose-tinted hindsight I think it's called.

I'm in my early 30s and my parents can remember the Wobblies (as they called them) me and my siblings had.

Similarly my aunt loves to tell me all about the epic tantrums my uncles and dad had as children (all between 60 and 70 years old) my dad in particular was a little shit by all accounts

I think people are more open about their children's behaviour nowadays. Me and my friends openly discuss the bitchfits our children have over the most insane things. My grandmother on the other hand would have probably have been mortified if anyone knew her children could be total gits.

I'm 56 and don't think I had tantrums but I did whine a lot and remember being told to speak properly and stop whining. My older brother has Aspergers and ADHD, only in those days he was simply thought to be a very naughty, odd child. He had epic tantrums. My DD is in her 30s and had major tantrums.

I would have been smacked with the wooden spoon 30 years ago if I'd tantrummed in the shops. Times have changed.

I was the same as ginteresting until my third DC
But my DSis has a 36 year old DD and DSis often comments what an absolute dream baby/toddler she was. I can remember visiting them and feeling shaky about the screaming and fist pummelling I had witnessed from her DD. I don't say anything... it's sometimes nice to wear rose-tints!

Read Persuasion by Jane Austen - there is a splendid description of a toddler tantrum in it

The phrase 'terrible twos' is older than 40 years I'm sure.

I think you either don’t remember or your kids are mild mannered. My brother apparently had epic tantrums and is still tantruming in his late 40’s. Issue is he is bigger and stronger and is physical danger to me.

My DC didn’t really tantrum (they’re still primary age so it’s not that I’ve forgotten) - some kids don’t. They weren’t angels by any means but tantrumming wasn’t their thing. Maybe you were lucky OP.

I was at school with a girl 20+ years ago who had tantrums as an 11-12 year old, she'd always been a tantrum thrower according to her mum - the girl was mortified by her loss of control but it was just one of those things. I expect she'd have a high-functioning ASD diagnosis today. She'd now be in her mid 30s.

I'd characterize my own DC as non-tantrum-throwers - but - they did throw tantrums, just not quite as epic as some children's can be. I'd assume your DC were the same as mine, but over time, you've forgotten the small tantrums, as they didn't bother you much at the time and negative memories are often the first to face wrt one's children.

I'm 53 and my mother has always been very fond of reminding me about the spectacular tantrums I used to throw as a toddler.

OP,

"A writer asserted that the 'terrible twos' doesn't exist."

Which one, out of interest?

. "A writer asserted that the 'terrible twos' doesn't exist."

Well every child development expert will tell you that they do.

My ex's Mum said that he was the worst out of hers, he is 50 next year, do am I.

I agree that not traveling around, having big supermarkets, probably helped.

But it was more the Leaving with Siblings, being smacked that was why you didn't see them as much.

50 years what we would now call abuse and neglect was rife.

One day when ds was 3 he decided to sit on the pavement and scream at the top of his lungs. To be fair he was coming off some flaming awful meds at the time but it still took me by surprise. A lovely lady who would have been in her 80s stopped and told me that she had had one of those to cheer me up, and told me all about it (I don't think she was just saying it to cheer me up). I think there were tantrums back then in the UK for sure, just read some of the Enid Blyton for a start. But I also think that you are right that children behave differently at different ages around the world.

My ExMIL would swear blind that DSD never ever had a tantrum. Her mun and dad on the other hand totalky disagree.

I'm 32 and apparently I had tantrums so violent I had to be restrained for my own safety! My mum likes to tell me about the time I was restrained on the supermarket floor! I don't think tantrums are a new thing. I think we share our experiences more now though.

I've just remembered my GM telling me that when my two Uncles tantrums, my Mother would pick them up and threaten to put them in the coal bunker (both born early 1930's).

My eldest is 46, he had some mega tantrums. Terrible twos were well known 46 years ago, can't swear about 50 years ago. Maybe something happened at the end of the 1960s?

My nan often tells the story of my now 54 year old mum having a huge tantrum in the middle of m&s!