Please stop me walking out on my toddler

[Rockbird]

Every single thing is a battle. You put clothes on, she takes them off, she throws food on the floor, we have an hour tantrum every night going to bed. Every single thing, every thing is unbearable. There is full on screaming, kicking and throwing every 5 minutes, my nerves are shot to pieces. Yesterday was one of the worst afternoons of my life. I know she's 2 and a half, I know that's what they do. But I can't cope with her any more, I want to go and never come back. my life is miserable. Please tell me how you get through this because i don't think i can.

rockbird I had a terrible 2 year old who is now a lovely 4 year old.

I now look back and realise a lot of his behaviour was because I completely had to high expectations.

Try and do this for 2 weeks and if it doesn't work stop it. Simple yet incredibly effective with my second (and still is with DS1).

Ignore the bad (apart from a quiet 'no that's not nice because... for violence/dangerous things)

Praise the good.

By ignoring I mean don't look/speak/talk about or to any bad behaviour, and very quietly say 'sorry I don;t understand when you shout' and then ignore them until they speak.

if you shout/get wound up to a 2 year old this is just interesting and thus worth repeating.

good luck it is soooo hard.

not only the vile behaviour but the total unpredictability of it - lovely for days then suddenly vile, for no apparent reason!

Rockbird does your lo still have a day time nap.

my almost 2 1/2 year old is soooo much better at bedtime since dropping the lunchtime nap - its a little bit harder around tea time but the relief at bedtime more than makes up for it !!!

It does get better, eventually, once my dd turned 4 she could communicate much better, and the tantrums, kicking, biting stopped. life got much easier. It's along way off I know but you will get there.