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?

DD 10 discovered tantrumming late, I think she was about 4.

I can remember my great grandmother before she died winking at me and telling me about my mother throwing herself to the ground screaming and beating her fists on the floor for a good half an hour this was caused by gooseberry crumble.

She told me because my mother was telling her how dreadful I was at tantruming

I'm 40 and there are many fond family stories of just how funny my tantrums were. Apparently I used to try and stamp both feet at once and fall over. I don't remember but I can see history repeating itself now!

I remember toddlers having tantrums fifty years ago, and almost always being smacked for it. My gran used to say solemnly "You have to show 'em who's boss..."

It's probably the same reason why people say the same about certain disabilities and conditions. Because society was so intolerant that any behaviour beyond queuing for bread or talking about the weather was kept behind a closed door for fear of being ostracised.

Ah, these stories are making me feel better about the entering the tantrum era for the first time (at just 18 months, I thought it was supposed to be terrible twos?). DD had a full on foot stomping hand flapping rage with tears and much screaming this morning because she wasn't allowed a gingerbread man for breakfast. I wasn't even sure before today that she knew what one was.

Anyway, I digress. I'm 33 and had epic tantrums as a child. My mother has many a public horror story, she roared laughing when I told her about DD this morning and said 'ah, and now it begins!'. My brother, who is 30 never had one. We were both raised the same, he's always been much quieter than me.

I'm 54, my mother loved to tell of a spectaular tantrum I had on the middle of the railway bridge over her refusal to catch me a butterfly. Of course you get a smacked arse back then. I was dragged home and at the first opportunity left the house and went to the station to get on the train to go to granny's because she'd get me a butterfly. A neighbour found me and took me home.

I'm nearly 39 and I certainly had some tantrums. My son is nearly 5 and has one tantrum ever. And that was when I tried to take him for a walk when I thought he was recuperating from an illness but was actually still in the throes of it. It wasn't so much a tantrum as exhaustion as when I managed to carry him home as he howled and cried, he literally fell asleep in my arms as soon as we reached the porch and was sick for the next two weeks.

Some kids tantrum, other don't.

I don't think I was a big tantrummer (I'm 48) because I was a third child and my mother just gave in immediately rather than make me do stuff My ds had a few but literally only a few, it was usually obvious what triggered them even if the immediate cause was toddler world stuff (cutted-up pear etc). I've read Susan Hill's book Family which describes in vivid detail her daughter's tantrums in 1979 (her daughter now aged 40 I guess, born 1977) and she calls them 'the legendary sort' suggesting that the idea of tantrums was... familiar to everybody and always has been. Sorry.

My mums in her 50s, and had 2 in 14 months, she tells me I most definitely had tantrums but my brother was far worse than me, and she often also had my cousin who's exactly the same age as my brother (2 hours difference or something) to look after and he too had tantrums.

I had pretty epic tantrums. Sometimes DM ignored them, sometimes I got a smack. This was in the late 70s. I doubt the smack (or threat of one) made any difference. I certainly wasn't scared of DM.

My recollection is that in my family tantrumming was more a cause for amusement.

Ha! I'm pleased to read this....my MIL keeps hinting my two DS are really badly behaved/something wrong with them when they strop out. Apparently her two were angels and just played nicely together, never stepping a foot out of line and potty trained by 18months.

But when I ask her about toys, things she did with them, weaning basically anything else she can't remember but she can remember that they were lovely and well behaved at all times

My DB who's 43 had epic tantrums - I'm older and have clear memories of him on the floor screaming.

Thanks to this, my parents were great with my DS who was a massive tantrum thrower from just over 1 to 3.5.

I had epic tantrums (am mid 30’s) my parents used to get my older cousin to come and stay with them as I was so much better behaved when she was around!

DS2 rarely has tantrums, DS1 didn’t have them at 2, they started at 3 and are still going strong at 6

My DD has fits of throwing herself to the floor when she doesn’t get what she wants. She’s only 3 and doesn’t know any other way of dealing with it. She gets nothing other than a big cuddle from me. She doesn’t get what she wants but she knows she is loved.

Hearing about all these toddlers being smacked breaks my heart.

Of course they did!

I hate the way parents "these days" are accused of not being in control of their children. Children have always behaved like children and that includes tantrums! My 2 year old behaves just like one that existed 50 years ago.

Children even had Autism 50 years ago as well. Apparently it didn't exist back then though and it was simply "naughtiness" which was solved with a good hiding. Yeah, top parenting there

My 3 now in their 20s never had tantrums..genuinely. But my oldest ds more than made up for it in his teens by going into full teen mode. I was wishing he had had tantrums and l might have had an easier ride. My other 2 were fine .
None of my dms many grandchildren ever had a tantrum when minded by her which they were regularly. They seemed to realise very early on that she wouldnt be moved one bit by a tantrum so didnt bother.

My mum told us that when our eldest brother had a tantrum over something she rolled him under the sideboard with her foot and left him there to yell it out. "He never did it again" she says.

I don't remember if any of us tantrummed but I doubt it because mum was very assertive and strict and we were scared of her. She would threaten to take our clothing off and smack our bare bums in front of everyone on the bus, and we were in no doubt that she would. So we didn't.

My ds can be a cheeky little so-and-so but at least he's not afraid of me...

Yeah they were often too terrified of being beaten/belted/sent to bed with no dinner etc

My ds 7 has had a fair few tantrums but dd 4 hasn't had any that I can recall-she has been pissed off when play dates have had to be cancelled but not crazy like ds. It's very different!

My mum recalls being chased by her mum with a slipper or a hairbrush. My (lovely) grandma remembers putting my uncle out in the back garden so he didn't completely destroy the house

My 'little' brother is 47 and he used to have epic paddies. I used to smugly watch him go off on one from my lofty position as older sensible sister. My Mum used to smack his bum with a wooden spoon.

He grew up to be a lovely man, husband and father and loves our Mum.

My DS never had tantrums but DD 1 made up for that. If tantrums were an olimpic sport she would be a gold medal winner.