Toddler v. 2.5

Well, we are in the REAL terrible twos. It started this past weekend.

According to an article in "Parents" magazine, toddler mood swings enter the "rough patches" at the half-year. John is not quite at the half-birthday stage (Dec 23), but he is definitely "bossy, demanding, and indecisive," which apparently comes with being 2 and a half. He wants to do EVERYTHING himself, and if he can't do it, he cries. If we help, he cries. If something is the wrong color or size, or isn't full enough, he cries. We are in meltdown city. There is very little in-between, everything is tra-la-la fine, and then BOOM, tears and yelling and lashing out. We have genuine, directed temper tantrums, with hitting and throwing things. It's definitely a phase, I just hope we are able to develop effective management techniques before the holidays!

Our best method right now is to immediately remove him from the trigger situation when it starts to break down, and either let him calm down on his own or sit with him while he calms down. We encourage him to use words, and he always ends up calming down (after 1 to 10 minutes) and clearly articulating what he wants. It's just a long road between those two points. Once he starts the calming down process, he is very good at stating his regaining of control, "I'm calm"; expressing remorse, "I'm sorry I throw my bowl"; and expressing his desire, "I'm ready for my yogurt now."

The journey into the meltdown is rough, but coming out into the sun is always sweet...