Helpful Tips for Terrible Twos

In order to understand the story of my son you may want to read my article on Prematurity & Its Side Effects.

The terrible twos. I am pretty sure we all have heard this phrase and know what it means. How do we determine that when a child is acting up that it is the terrible twos or there is actually something wrong. Sometimes it is hard to determine if they are crying out and trying to get away with a behavior or if there is something that is legitimately wrong with them. As a mother of a child that has had a rough start in life and his lack of communication is a barrier for us. It is really hard for me to tell if there is something wrong or if he is having what we all refer to as the terrible twos. I am sure we all have had the very same problem at one point or another on our journey to raising our child the best that we can. My son does not communicate the best and there are those days that I really can not distinguish between it being the terrible twos or that there is something wrong with him. On these particular days I sometimes cry with him. There is a fine line between a child acting out and a child being upset because there is something wrong. I can understand the frustration that comes along with the terrible twos but we can have things in place that will help in the behaviors and the frustration. Here are some tips that I have found that helps in dealing with the terrible twos.-have regular routines such as naps, snacks, etc.

-don't give in to tantrums

-begin to give timeouts & take privileges away

-set limits

-provide a safe environment

Above all else have patience. When we get upset our children tend to mirror our actions and get upset along with us. So getting angry and yelling normally only complicates things. We all have our bad days, children seem to have just as many as we do. Children can not express their feelings the way that us adults can so the only way they know how to is sometimes crying out. I think we as parents forget on occasion that children do not know how to put into words what they are feeling. I know that keeping our patience is really hard at times, but remember just as frustrated as you are your child is as well.