Colin is two.
And he is driving me crazy.
He wakes up in the morning and he's immediately two. This morning, for example, he cried because Daddy came to get him out of the crib instead of Mommy. Then he was smiling and cuddling in our bed with us. Then he cried because I need to change his diaper before we went down to breakfast. Then he threw a fit because he doesn't want to take off his pajamas. Then he threw a BIGGER fit because he didn't like the shirt I picked out. Then he calmed down and happily walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Where we discovered we were out of strawberry yogurt. Then he threw another fit because I offered him blueberry yogurt instead. Then (after another time out) he sat down and cheerfully ate the blueberry yogurt.
This is not a fun way to start one's day. You can see why I'm exhausted.
Yesterday he threw a fit for 45 minutes. Not crying and fussing on and off for 45 minutes. He was laying on his floor, kicking, screaming and crying for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. STRAIGHT. The only thing that stopped him was me finally going in there and holding him tightly until he stopped screaming and calmed down. (That fit was because I insisted on changing his dirty, stinky diaper. I know. The injustice of it all! The poor baby!)
He's an emotional roller coaster all day long: one minute he's happy as a clam, the next he's on the floor screaming. He's playing happily, then he he's in tears. Cute little adorable toddler to monster child. For no apparent reason.
Except being in public. I can almost guarantee that whenever we're in public, he'll throw at least one fit. He's almost always leaves the store held under my arm like a football – screaming – while I try to get my shopping cart and two other spacey children herded to my car.
I'm so frustrated. Not to mention that he does not sleep through the night — STILL. Whenever he wakes up, he screams for me. And he won't stop until I go down and rock him back to sleep. He wakes up almost every night around midnight, then again around 4:00am. Its ridiculous.
I know this is a stage. And as much as I don't want him to grow up too quickly, I will NOT be sad to say goodbye to this little monster that has taken over my two-year-old.
About Melissa
I could have written this post word for word (except I only have one other – not two others). Yesterday, A threw a fit in Home Depot because she wanted me to sit in the car while she went in with Tom alone. Everything from getting dressed to combing hair to what to eat for breakfast results in a tantrum. We’ll make it through this – I promise!
Know that you are not alone! I have to do the same hold-him-tightly technique to diffuse tantrums as well. On Saturday, at a ceremony for my best friend’s wedding, he threw a HUGE tantrum because he wasn’t allowed to touch the Torah (kind of a big no-no). I had to take him out to the parking lot where he proceeded to pound the concrete so hard he scraped his hand. It was awful – I ended up crying because I was so embarrassed that this happened in front of so many people we knew. He couldn’t pull himself together at all, and we ended up leaving and skipping lunch. As soon as we drove out, he fell asleep. So that was our most major blow out yet – but it happens over so many little things too.
Oh, I am right there with you. My 2 year old is sttn, but baby boy is no where near doing so. The older son throws a fit if we have the TV on, but then turn it off and all of a sudden we MUST watch Yo Gabba. Forget eating a meal, we can only eat goldfish crackers. And cleaning a dirty diaper, oh no, it’s better to waddle around in the stinkiness than get that changed. He just turned two last month, so I have a feeling this behaviour is only just ramping up! Oh boy!
It WILL get better but when you’re in it, each day lasts a week – or so it seems! I can now happily take 4 children anywhere and we all survive, just beginning to enter the ‘tween’ years with the eldest and now I need those 2yr tantrums back, well, not really, but you know…..LOL!
Ali
Oh boy. Yeah – they are called terrible twos for a reason. It does get better, and he may get through it faster then some b/c it sounds like you are consistent with how you handle his ahem..lapses in sanity.
My 4th is 10 months old and with each of them, I’ve seriously wished there was some type of toddler boarding school. Wouldn’t that be fun?
i think you’re on to something… could they potty train them at the boarding school as well
I know! I know! The only good thing is that we are experienced moms and know that this will pass, as opposed to the first child when you think you are just going to die. Colin didn’t hit his bad stage until the last 6 months (and he’s 3 1/2), and I don’t do well when someone yells at me first thing in the morning.