Negotiating the impossible.
At 2; your toddler will be confronting a multitude of emotional and physical hurdles that take an inordinate amount of energy and patience to conquer. You become a doormat of torment as the giddy babe wanders from delight to dismay on the turn of a tricycle. There seems to be little reason to random episodes of fear and rage but try hard 😫 to remember that it’s a normal part of their development which (despite your every intuition) invariably requires you to stand by, give them a reassuring hug, pacify and move on quickly....even when they are being unreasonable embarrassing little shits.
On the complete flip-side and another parenting contradiction: this is when you ALSO have to watch like a hawk, gauging the undistinguishable line between a genuine plea and blatant manipulation. You will be tripped up a lot. Two-nagers are chief emotional blackmailers and they will test your patience and sanity - just because they can. The more you watch them, the more you will be in tune with the small nuances that kick-start a tantrum and that differentiate distress and defiance. Well, maybe. Good luck with that!
But here’s the thing .. (in my humble opinion).. you aren’t going to create a complete brat by pandering to their irrational tirades at this age, so err on the side of support and just ‘hug it out’ when they are screaming their way through the supermarket. You have the next few years to work on manners and negotiation; when they are actually emotionally mature enough. If you’re ever worried about eye-rolling strangers - ignore them. Everyone HAS been there, we just forget. We honestly forget.... lest we would all be miserable, scarred and crazed shells-of-human-beings.
It’s not too long until they can start potty-training so that is one less type of shit you have to deal with. 🤟
