Dealing with the Terrible Twos

Dealing with the terrible two's seems impossible some times. My formerly sweet child has turned into a monster right before my eyes. My eldest daughter didn't have the terrible two's, she had the terrible three's and the ferocious fours. So dealing with this new side of my baby is a learning process for sure.

A lot of mom's have to deal with this stage of growing pains. The good news is that it doesn't have to be all bad. I continue to keep my child on a schedule, meaning nap time even if she isn't tired and I try to keep her active all day so that she falls asleep easily at night. There are other things parents can do to make the crankies easier to deal with.

When my daughter get really cranky and say "No!" to all of my suggestions I change the scenery. I will take her outside and let her run off some energy. Kids get bored with the same four walls just like us adults do.

Make sure they eat right. Poor diets have been linked to behavioral problems in children. Eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep is very important for children. I didn't realize this with my first child and she ran me ragged for the first four years.

Stay Calm. I know it is hard to do sometimes when your kids are screaming and driving you crazy. Children feed off of the energy around them, and yelling at them will only make things more difficult.

These tips may seem simple and like common sense, but a lot of parents, myself included, get to emotionally involved in the current situation. If a child stays cranky day in and day out and nothing helps them then take them to a doctor. There might really be something wrong with them. Even during the terrible two's a child should still have happy moments.