Toddlerhood is such a fun age because they’re learning so much and growing so much. Unfortunately it’s also one of the hardest ages because with all of that learning and growing come a lot of adjustments. My toddler is nearing that “terrible 2″ stage (gosh, I really hate that description but occasionally it’s so apt!) and has been throwing some doozies lately. Usually I run through the list of typical problems (do you need a drink? a snack? a hug? nurse? etc.) and if he continues to scream I leave him to himself to work it out. It usually works well, though it can be a bit embarrassing when we’re out and about. Luckily, it mostly happens at home so I’m spared the humiliation.

Before I had kids, I remember thinking that people with screaming toddlers needed to have better control over their kids. Now I know it’s a normal stage they go through as they navigate the tricky waters of learning to express their needs and wants and fears. So why the humiliation? I fear the dirty looks, the negative attention. I hate it when someone looks at us and then leans over to whisper to their friend about how badly behaved my child is. The truth is, he’s normal. When we’re in public, we remove him from the situation if he becomes too loud or if it goes on too long, so we’re trying to be considerate of others in the vicinity. I don’t enjoy his screaming and I know others don’t want to listen to it any more than I do. But maybe next time you see a frazzled mom or dad trying to ignore a tantruming (is that a word? and more importantly, is it spelled right???) toddler, have a little sympathy. I guarantee you we’re not enjoying it either.

This post was prompted by the screaming fits we’ve been seeing over the last few days and this video I just saw on YouTube which cracked me up because it’s so familiar.