Am I alone in thinking that the tantrummy toddler age is the absolute worst?!

[ImALittlePea]

(semi) light-hearted...

Toddler DD (coming up for 2yo) is such a tantrummy so-and-so at the moment. I love her to bloody bits but AARRGGHH she's just SUCH hard work. Knows what she wants, can't tell us (doesn't have many words yet), and loses her bloody mind if she doesn't get what she wants. Today's examples include:

• refused her dinner (which she has regularly) so hasn't eaten this evening (we don't offer an alternative, we know she eats enough daily/weekly, but it's just frustrating for us and painful to listen to the screaming)
• DH watching football so it wasn't 'her' TV on (cue ENORMOUS mum guilt for the fact she's so bloody addicted to the shitting TV already)
• hamster was asleep 🙄
• we had the audacity to take her and our eldest to the beach this morning (early, before too hot). Gave up and came back after 15 minutes.

I know none of it is her fault (or ours, apart from mum guilt telling me it is all my fault), but my god they are just SO unreasonable at that age! I'm not wishing time away but I can't wait for her to have words and be able to communicate more.

It's definitely the worst age for me!

Anyone else?!

I have a theory that the harder they are as a baby/toddler the easier teen they are, prob wishful thinking 😂I'm in the trenches atm with the youngest (almost 3) who is a tiny tyrant, lucky she's cute!

My son is 15 months and doesn't say much but today he had tantrums because he couldn't have the following
My phone
Tv remote
Hand sanitizer
My kindle
The iPad
A can of coke
And last but not least
My glasses
😂😂😂

And we'll do it all again tomorrow 🙄

@Shutupyoutart

Sorry my dd was a nightmare toddler. Teen with lots of anxiety and worries
Very stressful to deal with

Ds. Easy baby easy toddler. So far easier teen but he is 2 years younger so that may change

I get that @BertieBotts but it is taking the thread far away from what it actually was, and it’s a pity as the solidarity is actually helpful. But being slapped down with we-don’t-know-what’s-coming is horrible when you’re struggling anyway.

It might just be me but it’s actually not all that easy for me to distract DS when he’s in tantrum mode. He’s very determined. At a farm the other week he wanted to go on an activity that was for older children and couldn’t and roared his way round the alpacas, goats, ponies, sheep, play area, cows he was tired and overwhelmed but still. No distracting him at all. I swear I have PTSD from that farm visit!

@Rainbowbaby13 that sums it up well! And yes, we do it all again today!

The solidarity is definitely helpful @Honeyandjam and I can absolutely relate to what you describe at the farm. My DD gets it into her head what she wants, can't tell us what it is, and it very often isn't something we can give her. So she loses her shit. Loudly. For ages.

And I do get what pp have said about a tantruming toddler not being judged but a tantruming teen (or 8yo, for that matter) being different. My older DS can and does meltdown in public, but his meltdowns are very easy to nip in the bud (and he has a medical background which lends context to them) so it honestly feels easier for me to deal with. But there we go.

At least it's starting to cool off today so any hot heads won't be fueled by fuggy air on top of pure irrationality... she hopes...

Tantrums are hard but the way you deal with a tantrum sets the scene for teenage years.
OK, teenage years are scary, but it's SO exciting and rewarding seeing your baby work out how to become an adult.

At that age they are totally unreasonable. Looking back now I can laugh at some of the ridiculous situations but at the time it was frustrating and bewildering.

Now I have several enormous toddlers (teens) and we have unreasonable, bewildering situations daily again!

I'll second this 😭

So glad I found this thread as my 20 month old is at this stage and has been for a couple of weeks! Sooooo infuriating. He had such a lovely temperament as a baby too 😅
Last week I took him food shopping (he’s usually fine and enjoys being nosey in the trolley) and he flat out refused to get in the trolley. An older woman obviously saw me attempt to get him in 5-6 times and came over to help distract him, I was mortified!

I have a 2 year old and a 15 year old. The 15 year old has been stressful with moods and friend issues.

However the toddler - always wants to bolt at the shops and makes a 5 min shop so exhausting, wakes in the night and wants to get up and play, catches an illness every 5 seconds, is clingy, tantrums over fucking everything.

At least teens sleep in, can make their own food, are capable of leaving the house without pulling their shoes and socks off multiple times and don't lie down in the middle of the aisles at the shops.

My 21 month old was a dream baby, unlike her 7 year old brother, but as a toddler she is wild, feral even. This morning's best tantrum so far, after numerous night wakings and a 5am wake up call is because I wouldn't let her eat the washing up sponge.

Wait until they can answer back!

Haha, my older DS is the king of answering back, but I still think that's better as he can also be reasoned with. Not so with the terrorist toddler!