Toddler behaviour.

[spiritedawai]

AIBU to have underestimated how hard toddlers can be?

I'm a lone parent to my first child. He's lovely most of the time, but over the last month he's started having tantrums. All normal but it's relentless sometimes. Distraction usually works but not always. Especially if we are out.

I find myself comparing him to other children and wondering if his behaviour is normal.

My heart sinks a bit when he wakes up from his nap.

Anyone else find toddlers really, really difficult at times?

I've cried twice this week after he's fallen asleep as I'm just so tired.

My first dc was very hard work from a very young age and distraction didn’t work either. What I eventually found worked was complete consistently and ignoring bad behaviour completely. Took me a couple of years to figure this out though so he was older once his behaviour improved.

I also have a 20 month DD who is a breeze in comparison, has some tantrums but easily distracted out of them. If it’s any consolation I was told my DS was such hard work because he was intelligent and and as it turns out he is and is now a very easy child but my god the toddler years were hard and I cried most days!

Toddlers are so hard, endless amounts of energy, relentlessly need to be watched, and insufficient communication and control.
My friends who don’t have children were round in our garden during lock down, after 20mins one turned to me and said bemused “she has a lot of energy doesn’t she”...er yes.

My third and final child is currently a toddler and I agree they can be really hard work and a drain.

I’m not a single parent but due to my DH job I may as well be (he’s contracted to 50 hours per week and as it is 70 miles away he stays over there)

All I can say is hang on in there as it does get easier. It might feel like this is just life now forever but before you know it he will be older and easier to look after and your life will return to normal.

I'm glad someone said this. Honestly I love sending my ds to nursery. It gives me some time to not be a parent. Also nap times are so precious to me. I can't imagine doing it alone tbh. No wonder you're exhausted. People say it gets easier in a few years - I hope they are right