I'm feeling like the worst mum and very far from the mum I wanted to be. DD is 22 months and really perfecting the art of the tantrum. I obviously try to avoid situations that cause tantrums as much as possible but the times I really struggle are situations like one we've just had- she was playing in the garden before tea and kept opening the gate to go out. I did all the usual distraction, explaining why she shouldn't open the gate etc then came the point where I just had to say no and when she persisted carried her inside. She did her trademark blood-curdling scream, which she always does when you do something she disapproves of then went into full on tantrum mode. (I know we need to get a lock on the gate to avoid this, I'm just using this as an example of a time when there really is no compromise, like running off in a car park or wanting to touch the oven).
I'm finding this so hard to cope with. It's the screaming and shouting I really hate and then I find myself shouting at her to stop shouting- counter productive I know.
Is this just a phase? What's the key to surviving it? She's generally cranky at the moment as she's getting her second molars but is usually such a happy girl which is why all this screaming and shouting and wanting her own way is so horrible. I'm just finding this the absolute hardest stage to cope with.