How do you cope

[WitteringWattering]

During the terrible twos.

Sort of light-hearted but also not.

I'm honestly starting to wonder if it's just my son or if it actually is this bad for everyone?

My son is two and I feel like he was placed on god's green earth to see how far I can be pushed.

The SHOUTING, no SCREECHING more like whenever he hasn't gotten his own way. I try so hard to ignore it but it's embarrassing when we are in public especially. If the screeching doesn't work he will launch objects at you instead, hit, bite, pinch. We do time out for that but a lot of the time he just finds it funny (very occasionally it will work and calm him down).

Another thing recently is wanting to take all his clothes off at home, nappy included. Everything must come off.

My house looks like an utter tip constantly and I don't get a single second of peace from the constant whinging about anything and everything until he goes to bed, minus a short nap at lunch time.

I've heard about terrible twos and was expecting difficulty but honestly, I'd say I enjoy having a toddler about 5% of the time at the moment. He is so SO difficult. Days out start nice and cute and quickly deteriorate into tantrums and awkwardness and screaming / hitting / bribing with food/ me and DH tense and not talking. Is it just me? Is this what having a two year old is like? Why do people have more?!

My DD turned 2 in February and I've started finding it quite hard the last month or so. We have a lot of highs, but I have been struggling with my own feelings more lately.

I've found listening to Sarah Ockwell-Smith's book How to be a calm parent and her other books, helpful. Also going out every morning, we get up and out and come back for 11-30/12 for a nap (which goes by too fast). We live quite rurally but I take her to play groups, swimming, toddler music groups, nature reserve, the library etc then in the afternoons we walk our Labrador.

Have you read much about their development at this age? It helps to know they aren't trying to annoy you. It's still hard but it helps. I try so hard to empathise with her and help her feel like I'm on her side and sometimes it makes a real difference, but ultimately she's going to have big feelings and tantrums because that's what's normal.

Yes it is bad! Mine just turning 2 and she knows just how to push my buttons. She throws EVERYTHING including whole bowls/plates of freshly made food. Hates holding hands or being on reigns when out and throws herself dramatically to the floor a million times a day (well it feels like that many times anyway) I come back from every outing recently feeling frazzled and like we didn't have a nice time. Have spent the evening so far googling gentle parenting to see if a different approach might help.

Sorry no advice, just solidarity.

I empathise and would say pick your battles / learn what you can judiciously ignore. Eg - holding hands, brushing teeth, nappy staying on is a hill i’d die on / enforce. Lots of other stuff i’d ignore. Another category of stuff i’d limit - eg if the house is a tip from all the toys being out then quarter the number of toys out at any one time.

sincerely,
mum to twins