Yesterday was just one of those days. You know the kind, where everything just seems to go wrong and you feel like things just keep going from bad to worse to epically shit. The day itself started off fine, we weren’t late for school, Alex and I had a nice time at toddler group and my nan took us out for lunch in town. As far as Wednesdays go, yesterday started off pretty nicely. It was once I picked Leo up from school that things started to go very very wrong. View Post
Motherhood, am I doing it all wrong?
Being a parent is the hardest job ever. Fact. It is a role we are thrown into with zero experience, straight into the deep end and expected to just get on with it. There are lots of books on parenting available but with so much conflicting advice and with every child being completely different, it can be so hard to know what to do for the best. As a mum I am always questioning what I do and if I am raising Leo to the best of my ability, most of the time I think I’m doing ok but things like mum guilt and other peoples opinions can cause serious blows to my confidence. Some days all I can think is that I am doing it all wrong, did I miss the memo on how to be the perfect mum? Some days I feel like everyone else is smoothly sailing through their parenting journey while I frantically try and keep my head above the water. View Post
Is it the terrible twos or is he just naughty?
Any parent out there will know what the terrible twos are, right? Oh you know, it’s that phrase used to describe the idea that when your child wakes up on their 2nd birthday they suddenly become a complete nightmare and will throw tantrums and act like a demon until they turn three and suddenly they become little darlings again. Many parents will agree with me when I say this, what a load of crap! The terrible twos can start way before your child hits 24 months and can, unfortunately, last way longer than just a year. I have written about my experiences of tantrums before and how I really struggle to cope when Leo’s being naughty. Leo is approaching 3 and his bad behaviour shows no sign of slipping away, if anything, it’s getting worse. I am starting to wonder if his behaviour is not just a result of the dreaded terrible twos, what if it is something more? What if my boy is just, well, naughty? View Post
I can’t cope with the tantrums
The terrible twos, it is something us parents dread, right? We see kids screaming on the floor, parents carrying them out of shops kicking and screaming and we pray one day that won’t be us. It is inevitable though, one day your baby will turn into a screaming, stomping, patience testing toddler and there’s not a lot you can do to stop it.
Oww! |
Where did my happy boy go?
I usually do all my blogging when Leo is asleep but I feel like I can not wait until sometime this afternoon to write this post. While Leo is at last happily playing with his toys, I need to take the next 5 minutes to vent and ask all you lovely mums and dads out there for some advice.
This morning I took Leo to a new baby group in a bid for us to have some fun and hopefully get to know some new people. I am still struggling to connect with anyone down here, I am missing my friends in Swansea and I really just wanted us to get out the house and try and make our faces a bit more known in our local community.
Leo had other ideas.
The group lasted about 45 minutes and for only about 5 minutes of it was he happy. He didn’t want to join in with any of the singing or dancing and had a massive tantrum when he wasn’t allowed to play with the bubble machine. Every other child in there was enjoying themselves, their mums gleefully clapping along with looks of pride on their faces. I, on the other hand, was a woman on the edge. Why is he so grumpy all the time? I try and take him to nice groups, soft play or do crafts with him and it always ends in tears. Half the time it starts with tears too.
When Leo was younger everyone used to say how lucky I was to have such a happy boy and I don’t think I appreciated that time enough. Now, every single day is a struggle, a mission to keep Leo happy and avoid his almighty tantrums. The things that used to make him laugh now rarely receive a half hearted smile. When we go out to groups he is more interested in trying to find an escape route and I am living in a dream world if I think he actually enjoys play dates.
I just don’t know what to do. He doesn’t act like this with other people so I feel like no one understands. Oli is at work all day and when he sees other family he is always good, like he saves all his bad behaviour just for me.
I try to tell him off if he’s been naughty and he just doesn’t listen and before I know it I am comforting him, I just hate him crying. Most of the time though his tantrums are so bad there really is nothing I can do. He doesn’t let me pick him up, he screams in to the floor and, most worryingly, tries to bite himself.
I just want my happy boy back, Obviously, there are good days but at the minute these are hard to come by, When we have one of those mythical ‘tantrum free days’, I feel like super mum and I just wish I could feel like that every day.
I don’t know what to do. Stay in the house every day with Thomas the Tank on repeat, maybe? Become a hermit with no friends and let Leo have free roam of the house to do as he pleases? I just want my boy to be happy, I feel like turning two has turned him into a completely different person.
Where did my happy boy go?
Anyone else really struggling with the terrible twos? If anyone could recommend some good blogs/books that offer great advice and coping strategies then please share in the comments. Have you got any advice, any magic tricks that help make a grumpy toddler smile?
What parents think during a tantrum
• I love my baby so much.
• I deserve a drink tonight after that.
• I am supermum!
7 things only toddlers can get away with
You know you have a toddler when…
Over the past few months I have watched Leo change from a baby into a little boy right in front of my very eyes. It is amazing to watch him learn and grow, I can’t believe he’s 19months old already!
Like most children his age he is very mischievous, cheeky and some of the things he does just completely baffle me. I have compiled a list of 5 tell tale signs you are living with a toddler. View Post