Sometimes, it seems as if toddlers have split personalities, cheerful one moment, whiny and uncooperative the next. Fortunately for parents, a 2- or 3 year old’s surge of crankiness is generally short-lived. What’s more, a toddler’s wildly fluctuating emotions are perfectly normal for his age, and as he matures, he’ll learn the necessary skills to control his runaway feelings.
The two’s and three’s are tricky age for kids. They’ve mastered the basic life skills of infancy and are moving to the next level, which is all about handling their emotions. Unlike 5-6 year olds, they don’t understand and can’t articulate what’s bothering them, that they’re tired, anxious or frustrated.
What we perceive as irrational mood swings are in fact a very basic learning process – impulse control. Kids are figuring out what’s acceptable, what’s not, and how they can regain control when they’ve stepped over the line. Let’s be reminded that we weren’t born knowing how to come to grips with the fact that we can’t always have everything within our reach. These are not easy lessons, and kids this age are absorbing them for the first time.
Temper-Taming tips:
- Distract her – Sometimes moodiness can be deflected simply by diverting her attention. If she’s starting to be cranky try diverting her to other stuff, for example you can give her crayons and let her scribble on a paper. You can also distract her mood swings by pointing to other interesting stuff like colorful paintings, toys, or music.
- Try talking to her – we belittle kids sometimes, so try talking to them if they’re in a bad mood. Use simple words like “are you hungry(while pointing on your tummy) ” Are you thirsty?”, basic questions that will help your child or encourage her to express herself.
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