No tantrums?

[Mondaybaby]

I was chatting with an acquaintance about tantrums. He has kids in their mid/late teens. I asked him how he dealt with tantrums when his kids were small. He said that they never had tantrums. I said, 'really!!!' but he was insistent that his kids NEVER had tantrums. As my dd is almost 2 and has (mild) tantrums every day, I was quite shocked and a bit jealous. Does any one else on MN have experience of their children never going through the terrible 2's?

Neither of mine have really had tantrums. DD is 3.3 now and DS is coming up for 2 and no sign so far. Not the kicking-and-screaming kind, anyway. DS if he gets cross/frustrated will sometimes throw something across the room but that's about all. All children are different though.

Apparently my db and I didn't really have tantrums but I was a horrific teenager, maybe he got lucky

He's probably forgotten. It seems to be a staple of MILs as well.

My 3 never had the terrible 2's either....
Although im paying for it now as my youngest (10) is a right stroppy little git

my MIL says my DH never had tantrums AND was a mild teenager, as he can be a stroppy git on occasion now I find it hard to believe...

Ah, part of the parent's job is to instantly forget what little terror's your own kid(s) were and to think the sun shines out of them then as you get older, complain about "kids today" and how things have gone downhill since yours were little etc etc..

Of course your friend wont remember any tantrums. I bet there were loads though. How well you rember these things also depends on how relaxed you are about them of course - if every tantrum leaves you an emotional wreck you're more likely to remember every one!

I've heard so much of this baloney since having DS. Apparently my sister's baby never CRIED.!? yeah right...

people do tend to forget stuff - my own mother has been useless recently as I'm toilet training, cos she can't remember how she did me so shes not much help - i suppose in fairness its 30 years ago really!! :) everyone seems to forget childbirth pains (or at least they don't warn you!), thats another one. Maybe his kids had tantrums for the other parent, seems that way in this house grrrr

Thanks for your replies. I also think that he probably doesn't really remember or he just wasn't exposed to them as he was working ft and his wife was the main carer during the day.
It is interesting what people forget, and so quickly after the event. I have another friend who barely remembers anything about her now 6 year old middle dd's early years.