The frequency of “no” from the mouth of my son had been increasing for around two months now. Brush your teeth: No. It’s time to go to sleep: No. Let’s continue playing tomorrow: No. The only exception is when we ask him if he wants milk, to which he will nod his head with a smile.
I told a friend about my observation. She asked: “How old is your son?” I said: “Two and a half.” Then she mentioned something that’s entirely new to me: “Ahh, the terrible two.” I was ashamed to ask what it is, so I searched the internet for the answer. There are so many unknowns for first-time parents. Here’s what I found.
According to an article: “Characterized by toddlers being negative about most things and often saying ‘no’, the terrible twos may also find your toddler having frequent mood changes and temper tantrums.” I was smiling as I read this portion because it fits perfectly well with what our son had been throwing at us for the past month or so.
The reason, according to DrGreene.com: “The hallmark of this stage is oppositional behavior. Our wonderful children instinctively want to do exactly the opposite of what we want. We have nice, reasonable expectations and they say, “NO!” or they simply dissolve into tears.” BoystownPediatrics add that: “Before age 2 until about 3 years of age, a child is gaining his own independence. He wants to make his own decisions and because of his limited vocabulary (about 50 words), he is often unable to make his demands clear.”
The tips and suggestions on dealing with the terrible twos are also discussed in the articles quoted above. In my case, I have learned to be firm with our son in showing that he would not get what he wants by crying. I would tell him to say what he wants instead of crying, which he usually follows. I could sense, of course, that he’s mad at me for not giving in to what he wants, but I can live with that. I would, however, make it a point to talk to him after he settles down and explain why he didn’t get his way.
I still have to see if my strategy is working.
