The Terrible Twos??

If this is L.J.’s second year of life, have the Terrible Twos started already?

Our sweet, happy, friends-with-everyone baby has turned into an ornery, clingy and stubborn toddler. Seemingly overnight at that.

He has very definite opinions on what he wants to do and when he wants to do them, and heaven help you if you have a differing mindset. We use the word ‘No!’ more times than we can possibly count, with at least half of the instances being the second or third time we’ve told him not to do something.

It’s very frustrating! We want to raise him to be a well-behaved, obedient child. But at the same time, we don’t want to squash his spirit. Most of his “disobedience” is related to his insatiable curiosity. He is also extremely active – so if the disobedience isn’t related to curiosity, it’s because he’s bored.

We are struggling with how to effectively discipline him without yelling and/or losing our patience (or our minds). And how can we model behavior and teach him certain skills without annoying the pants off the general public in the process?

Mike and I have fallen into the trap of giving him things to keep him quiet and or still, which we know is not an effective technique in the long run. Yes, we are the parents completing grocery shopping with an open box of cereal in the cart. But it’s either that or listen to him screech like a barn owl or struggle to escape the confines of the cart. Neither of those are acceptable options either.

So, yeah. All this to say, “Does anyone have tips for us??”

We adore L.J.’s spirited personality…but right now we’re struggling with how to best parent it.

(This post wasn’t the least bit prompted by L.J.’s less than stellar behavior at a birthday party, church and a retirement dinner this weekend…)