The Terrible 2's

The terrible two's. We are there. We are SO there.

I knew this was coming. Lucas has been having tantrums for quite a long time now. Definitely since before he turned 18 months. Ryan went through a tantrum stage around this age, although he was more quiet and determined about getting his way. Lucas is a totally different story. For the past month or so things have gotten much worse. This week in particular has been rough.

What do you think of when you think of a toddler tantrum? Screaming, kicking, crying, hitting, biting......Lucas does it all! He is so incredibly loud that sometimes his screaming makes my ears ring afterwards. He is a crazy combination of loud and physically strong. He kicks and bites and makes his body go stiff. I didn't know a 22 month old could test my muscles so much!

Lucas throws a tantrum when: being put into his carseat, being put into the stroller, arriving at home and being carried inside, I put the lid on his cup without him helping me, getting out of the bath, not being held immediately when he wants to be, strapped into a shopping cart, being strapped down for a meal, being told he can't be held, being told he can't have another snack, pretty much being told NO.

The worst for me is the fact that he throws a tantrum every time I don't pick him up. He hangs on me and cries to be picked up at least 100 times per day. And I just can't hold him all the time. Every time I ignore his request or try to divert him he starts screaming and crying and hitting. It's exhausting.

Here is an example of what he does in shopping carts:

Notice how Ryan doesn't even acknowledge what is going on? It has become so normal to hear Lucas having a tantrum. I would estimate that Lucas is in tantrum mode at least 50% of the day. And that is a conservative estimate. The thing about his tantrums is that they don't just start and stop a minute or two later. They go on and on and on. And I never know what will set them off. The other day his piece of bacon broke in half and that resulted in a 10-minute tantrum. I try to ignore it or discipline him, but it's pretty hard to ignore a screaming toddler who is hanging on your leg or pulling your pants off of you.

My new game plan for Lucas' meltdowns is going to be putting him in his room when we are at home. I think the ultimate punishment for him is being separated from me, so I am really hoping this works.