My son is officially a toddler and has been for quite a little while now. Toddlers tend to have a reputation to be a bit cranky, stubborn and at times downright uncooperative. In the mist of all their new discoveries and skills they typically learn their new favorite word, NO! My 22 month old son is no exception. He has his days of defiance but for the most part he’s generally a pretty easy going, jolly little guy.
One of my favorite things about toddlers is the fact that they are so easy to read. You can typically tell by the look on their faces exactly how they are feeling. My little toddler is especially easy for me to read because he has big brown eyes. When I go to his room every morning to get him he greets me with a, “hi”. On those days mornings he’s in a great mood. There are other days when he sees me and starts whining those are usually a little grumpier. This particular morning however when I looked into his eyes I knew at some point during the day we were going to have a problem. He wasn’t grumpy but he obviously wasn’t in his normally jolly temperament. I just happened to be in a mood that day myself. I ignored the fact that he was semi annoyed and the day for the most part went off without a hitch. The problem arose around 5 pm when I decided he was going to be taking an early bath. My son is a lover of all things water and always enjoys having a bath. This day somehow he decided that he was going to have his water running the entire time he was in the tub. This is something we have never done before and really just came out of left field. Of course it was a no go. He wasn’t having that and cried during the bath. Afterwards he cried while he got dressed. He wasn’t done there he followed me into the kitchen and cried for an hour while holding on to my skirt. He was angry! I picked him up and held him the crying continued. I offered him a snack, milk, and juice and he shook his head no, still wailing. We went into the living room where he continued to have a tantrum. Typically, I don’t back down when I know for a fact my son is just being stubborn. I try not to reward bad behavior when he has tantrums.
This particular day I was weak. My nerves had their last scream. I wanted to cry with him but, I was certain that wouldn’t help. I hopped off the couch saying under my breath, “the hell with this”. I made a mad dash for the freezer and got the ice cream. He of course was still crying and had followed me into the kitchen. I opened the ice cream and offered him a spoonful hoping he was interested. He went for it! We went back into the living room where he ate ice cream for another 30 minutes until I could get him calmed down. This was his first tantrum where I wasn’t able to distract him enough to get him over it. I was desperate so I used the ice cream. I really hope my son doesn't grow up t be a jerk because I gave in with ice cream. What are some methods that you use to defuse a toddler tantrum?
One of my favorite things about toddlers is the fact that they are so easy to read. You can typically tell by the look on their faces exactly how they are feeling. My little toddler is especially easy for me to read because he has big brown eyes. When I go to his room every morning to get him he greets me with a, “hi”. On those days mornings he’s in a great mood. There are other days when he sees me and starts whining those are usually a little grumpier. This particular morning however when I looked into his eyes I knew at some point during the day we were going to have a problem. He wasn’t grumpy but he obviously wasn’t in his normally jolly temperament. I just happened to be in a mood that day myself. I ignored the fact that he was semi annoyed and the day for the most part went off without a hitch. The problem arose around 5 pm when I decided he was going to be taking an early bath. My son is a lover of all things water and always enjoys having a bath. This day somehow he decided that he was going to have his water running the entire time he was in the tub. This is something we have never done before and really just came out of left field. Of course it was a no go. He wasn’t having that and cried during the bath. Afterwards he cried while he got dressed. He wasn’t done there he followed me into the kitchen and cried for an hour while holding on to my skirt. He was angry! I picked him up and held him the crying continued. I offered him a snack, milk, and juice and he shook his head no, still wailing. We went into the living room where he continued to have a tantrum. Typically, I don’t back down when I know for a fact my son is just being stubborn. I try not to reward bad behavior when he has tantrums.
This particular day I was weak. My nerves had their last scream. I wanted to cry with him but, I was certain that wouldn’t help. I hopped off the couch saying under my breath, “the hell with this”. I made a mad dash for the freezer and got the ice cream. He of course was still crying and had followed me into the kitchen. I opened the ice cream and offered him a spoonful hoping he was interested. He went for it! We went back into the living room where he ate ice cream for another 30 minutes until I could get him calmed down. This was his first tantrum where I wasn’t able to distract him enough to get him over it. I was desperate so I used the ice cream. I really hope my son doesn't grow up t be a jerk because I gave in with ice cream. What are some methods that you use to defuse a toddler tantrum?
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