One of our readers, Joelle from Colorada, shared this picture of her son Chase looking very upset. The reason? Joelle wouldn’t paint his nails purple.
It all went wrong for me recently when my son Jono was unable to carry each of the seven cars he had carefully selected for the four minute drive to pick up his big sisters from school. He wouldn’t let me carry any and he wouldn’t leave any in the car, minutes later he became a spectacle of prostrate kicking and screaming.
Parents I knew stopped me as I struggled to get my very unhappy, beautiful boy to my daughters’ classrooms on time. They stopped me to ask Jono what was wrong, or to ask me if he was sick, to which I would reply, “there’s nothing particularly wrong, he’s two, he’s having a moment that’s all”. I think I just wanted his behaviour to be overlooked and ignored, or for someone to ask me if I was doing ok.
It made me think about how I can be more helpful to other parents when their kids are having a meltdown. I’m not a psychologist, but things like; giving them space, and being practical like letting them through before you in a queue. Maybe not asking for an explanation of what’s wrong, but asking if you can help in some way would be better.
If you’re going through this stage with your child I wish you strength and patience, and a helpful gesture when you need it most.
I would love to hear about how you’ve made these situations easier for you and your two-year-old.
Two-year-olds, the great leveller of humankind.
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