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Terrible Twos... please pray for us.
Curly has been an absolutely different child this week. While normally he's really easy going, happy, and a joy to have, this past week he's just been an absolute terror. Pushing every limit, doing things he KNOWS he's not supposed to (like saying "no biting!" then proceeding to bite me), and having an absolute meltdown when I even SUGGEST doing something that wasn't his idea.
I'm trying really hard to keep my cool, but it's getting so hard. I'm trying now to just walk out of the room when he's having a screaming fit (so he knows they won't get my attention). I try asking him what he needs when he's starting to get upset, and he inevitably says "apple juice" (which he's only had a handful of times in his life, so I don't know why he always asks for it). He has LOTS of words, but he's not using them when he starts to get like this.
I'm sure this is all totally normal toddler behavior... but do you have any tips or tricks to help us survive? If nothing else, please pray for us!!
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Re: Terrible Twos... please pray for us.
I highly recommend the "Love and Logic" book (they have one for toddler/preschool age).
The best thing you can do is start nipping this in the bud now before it gets out of control.
A quick personal example is that the book recommends the "uhoh song" ("uhoh, looks like a little bedroom time!) when LO is starting to act up (as long as its not pain, hunger, diaper change, etc). We started using this method when DS was roughly, gosh, I want to say 16-17 months old.
Anyway, the first time was hell. Its basically CIO until they get the tantrum out of their system. DS hated that we put him in his room and took away his blanket and stuffed animals and closed his door. The first time it took about 45 minutes for him to work it out, the second time it took about a half hour, and each time after that it got less. We average, now, about 5 minutes. BUT, that being said, we haven't had to use "bedroom time" for a couple of months. DS figured out really quickly that we were serious. Now we say "no" and redirect, and if that doesn't work we just look at DS and ask him if he needs to go to his room. That nips it in the bud and he finds something else to do.
Good luck! This is a rough stage to go through!
Personally, I don't think there's much you can do but wait it out. This coming from someone who truly believed one of us - DD or I - would not survive terrible twos.
Make sure he is well rested, fed, and on a predictable routine. Make your discipline as consistent as possible, whether using Love & Logic or 123 Magic, etc - both are good. These things won't prevent all bad behavior but will work sometimes. And they are good in terms of giving you a script in how to deal with it. A lot of the time I think I was as much the problem as her, but it sounds like you're doing a great job already of keeping your cool. GL and hang onto your hat!!