Terrible Twos Game Plan

Lately I’ve had the crabbiest toddler on the planet. Given the fact that he is usually quite mellow and a smiley little flirt, the change is even more drastic. He was sick, yes. He was unusually unhappy about our weekend houseguests, yes, but now they are gone and still the crabbies are not. He is being super clingy, cry-y, demanding and utterly unrealistic in his expectations – resulting in constant consecutive tantrums. Basically, I’m annoyed with him.

I decided I needed to come up with a game plan. I needed to fill his day, and my day, in such a way that would leave little time for tantrums and boredom. Making sure he was getting enough sleep and eating (try forcing either of these things on a toddler) was a main part of the “plan”. Outside time was a must (regardless of the cold and rain), and then the list of fun-filled activities began… mostly with “get out of the house.”

Mr. Man also reminded me of the water in the sink that all of our kids used to do… how could I have forgotten? The amount of time he can spend calmly relaxing in water with scoops and boats and spoons completely makes up for the flood I find myself stepping in. Music has been another winner. And I’ve found that if I’m sitting in a corner reading board books to myself, the odds are pretty good that after his initial tantrum and anger in my direction, he will come and sit on my lap for some reading before curling up for a nap.

This morning we went on what Mr. T called a “field trip” – mostly because it was an extended trip out of our house. The library is a bit of haven but mostly a hell for a toddler. I left him throwing his tantrum on the floor while I got all the books my daughter needed for a project. No need to worry about him running off, and I could hear exactly where he was. It was actually helpful. We were there early enough that it was only the librarians and one other mother with a perfectly behaved toddler who we were bothering. So as much as I was annoyed, I feigned disinterest and got done what needed to be done. Then I read to my other son while he continued his fit and after a while he got up to calmly go work on a puzzle. Fine then. We went for a LONG walk downtown and then made a surprise visit to see Mr. Man at school. I’m loving that five point harness system in my stroller more and more as he gets older!

A bit of play time at home with his brothers, a hearty lunch and then a drive to take Little E to preschool – where I let him run around for a bit and bounce on the trampoline, and thankfully he fell asleep on the way home and transferred into his bed just fine. Ironically, we also tired out the six year old and they are both snoozing while I get to blog and relax for a few mid-day moments! Wish me luck with my game plan. Otherwise I may end up popping happy pills by the end of the week ! (Into both of our mouths!)