How well should my 2-year-old behave?

[BroccoliSpears]

I suppose I'm looking for reassurance that it's normal for a 24 month old not to exibit any "good behaviour".

I promise to take it like a man if concensus is that I'm deluding myself and need to take my brat in hand.

She is 24 months old. She does exactly what she wants to do all the time. Sometimes what she wants to do happens to be what I want her to do and all is happiness and harmony in the Spears household. Most of the time what she wants to do is throw her breakfast on the floor, or tip the dog's water over, or swing on the gate, or pull up flowers, or poke her baby brother with a stick...

It feels a bit relentless, and I listen to myself become more pathetic and incidental as the day wears on. I am completely ignored unless what I am saying includes the words "chocolate biscuit" or "Night Garden".

It's not completely disasterous. I do successfully impose my will when I need to, but not without bribes or tantrums.

So, normal 2-year-old behaviour, or ratbaggery that needs to be addressed?

(It's worth noting that she has a very new baby brother and the Green Eyed Monster is definitely a factor).

Well I think you're perfectly within your rights to refuse to babysit - is it because of your GCs behaviour or your daughter's though?

It seems a shame for your GCs to lose a relationship with their grannie over an argument between their mother and their grannie, iyswim.

Hard to say without knowing the whole story though.

2 year olds are hard work, apparently I should know that she can only possibly eat her breakfast from the red bowl using the spoon with the red handle and that today she wishes to be known as nitzy

I wish my grandchildren would eat their breakfast from the red bowl using the spoon with the red handle. Their breakfast comes from a snack bag.