Brie is now 2 years old.
And I’m treasuring this.
She’s cuddly and loves to cuddle and give us all a big hug.
She’s absorbing her world so fast.
She has SO much to say, but she still speaks in her cute babyish way.
she’s usually choosey over something and gets very grumpy when she doesn’t get what she wants
And.
She has started her ‘Terrible Two’ phase around 2 weeks before she turned two years old =)
Which basically means, she goes through moments of ’emotional breakdowns’ every day.
Like, MANY times a day.
(In short, these days she’s usually choosey over something and gets very grumpy, cries super loudly, when she doesn’t get what she wants).
…
So.
What do I do when such break-down happens?
Well, these are some of the things that take place between my little Brie and I =)
1. I get down on my knees and tell her firmly to speak to me properly, and that there’s no need to scream or cry. I then try to find out what it is that makes her feel so frustrated.
If we’re at home, and I really can’t figure it out, and the crying and screaming gets increasingly out of control, I’d tell her clearly (in a plain, firm, non-angry tone) that if she continues to cry like this, she needs to stay in her bed on her own, and to only come out if she’s all quiet.
Now you see, every kid has different temperaments, and what works for ‘child A’ may not work in ‘child B’, BUT … apparently this method works okay with Brie, SO FAR.
I’d bring this screaming little girl to her bedroom, and I’d slowly put her down in her bed, while I tell her, ‘If you stop crying, then you can come out’, then I’d turn around and leave the room (door is opened, and I never leave her in the dark).
Usually what happens is, in less than 15 seconds, she’d stop crying and walk towards me.
Sometimes, she’d cry again by the time she gets to my legs, hehe … and I’d simply repeat the process.
And, on average, by the third time round, she usually has stopped crying and acted like nothing so dramatic has happened earlier.
…
for kids her age, the power of distraction saves SO much of my energy
2. I’d distract her with something (and most of the time, this works wonderfully).
It’d be like this:
Brie : *CRY SUPER LOUDLY*
Me : Oh look, what’s that??? *point out towards the street* Did you see the big cat? Can you find a dog? Oh look, there’s a man on a motorbike!
Brie : *Stops crying completely and looks out the window, and answer my questions like nothing has happened earlier’
=)
Really, for kids her age, the power of distraction saves SO much of my energy =)
…
She’d cry and want ‘A’, and when ‘A’ was given, she’d want ‘B’, and cry again. When ‘B’ was offered, she cried and refused everything
I remember very clearly how Anya too went through her emotional phases when she’s around two.
She’d cry over everything, and it all lasted for around 2 weeks, I think.
(She’d cry and want ‘A’, and when ‘A’ was given, she’d want ‘B’, and cry again. When ‘B’ was offered, she cried and refused everything. Man.)
But you know what?
I guess, since I kind of expected this Terrible Two phase to happen (Brie being kid no. 3!), I think I’m handling Brie’s terrible two moments better than when I first handled Anya’s.
I don’t get emotionally stressed out over it (because I know it’ll be over soon and it’s part of her growing up).
And sometimes, I can actually look at her crying away and thought it is funny =)
Having said that, it doesn’t change the fact that the crying-screaming still deafens my ears though!
And, I still need my pack of M&M’s or Magnum ice cream as my ‘energy boost’ when my battery has gone flat =)
…
Ah anyway.
I don’t know if it’ll get worse, or better, with Brie.
I hope for the latter =)
And I hope God showers me with HIS wisdom and patience, which I always need every day.
…
What do YOU do when Terrible Two phases come your way?
