Please tell me it gets better?

[ineedsomeinspiration]

Went out for Sunday lunch today and ds threw such terrible tantrums at everything I ended up eating my lunch on my own in the pub garden so as not to upset the entire restaurants dining experience.
I wanted the ground to swallow me up, I was so embarrassed.

DS has been getting exceptionally good at the tantrums now. Don't think he even knows why most of the time. Will I ever be able to enjoy a civilised day again without being screamed at etc?

How old is he?

Been there. It gets better, I promise. How old is DS?

He was 2 in December.
He has got a lot worse recently. Absolutely no talking him round or distracting at all. He just gets so het up. Then I think he forgets what was wrong in the first place.

How's his language?

His talking is quite good but it's the not understanding he can't get his own way/sitting still for any length of time that's the problem.

My son is roundabout the same age. I have an older girl too so have been through it before.

Life will be, er, challenging until they rising three. Then it will gradually get better, not dramatically, but one day you will realise that instead of dreading a day with DS you are looking forward to it and that although he still has his moments, predominantly he is quite fun.

So we must just plod through these next months as best we can, plenty of fresh air, exercise, don't let him get hungry and try to aim for a good balance between letting him have his way sometimes and not letting him get away with murder.

Although when he comes out the other side of the twos he will be a fully fledged person with whom you have to negotiate, rather than a baby/small toddler who you can just make fit in with you all the time. That is a shock. But they are so much fun and its so lovely watching them learn to do so many things, and that makes up for it.

2-3 years is sooo hard. I remember when my now 12 year old was approaching 2 and sobbing in my mother's arms saying how badly I felt as a mother because there were days when I wanted to throw him out with the bath water. It gets better. And the crazy thing is, you'll look back and that period will be such a brief time, you'll hardly remember it. Goodness though, I feel for you. I remember standing there in a sand pit while my son morphed into a screeching alien with bear claws and wings out-spanning those of an eagle's... he just became this BEAST (just a monster meltdown...award winning in fact) and when he 'recovered', I put down the spade I was using to dig my own burial hole and the parents started clapping, patting me on the back and saying things like, "Well done, mom." This was in California. I felt like smacking the lot of them! It was like something out of a really cheesy movie. A love-in gone weird. I felt doubly humiliated by son and audience. I can confirm that I never did throw him out the bath water and boy oh boy, he can be a pain, but he is the love of my life. Sleep and a good eating routine helps.

I think sleep is a bit of an issue at the moment. We had to change him to a bed as he was climbing out of his cot. Since then his day time naps are very occasional.
Also he'll no longer sit in the highchair so he's not confined at eating times so not eating as well. He was good today though until I wouldn't let him through the ironing all over the floor. Major tantrum ensured. I went upstairs and packed the washing away snd he'd got over it by the time I'd finished.
I'm glad it's not just my child. I felt awful snd really just wanted to cry yesterday.

It's much easier second time round as you know where you are headed. With your first you worry it's going to be this way forever as you can't imagine your DS at the next phase yet.

Good luck. Try not to strangle him if you can help it

Been there, done that. I remember one Sunday lunch at an Italian restaurant when my three year old escaped from his chair and ran around the place shouting 'Bollocks!' At the top of his voice.

It gets better.