From the article: Grandparenting Toddlers
Two-year-olds have quite a rep! Even indulgent grandparents may quail at the prospect of enduring the terrible twos. Others would say, however, that each age and stage has its own positives and negatives and that two-year-olds are more terrific than terrible. What do you say? Share Your Opinion
Pretty Rough
- As most articles say, parenting has changed much since I was parenting. Our daughter just ignores our grandson's behaviors of throwing toys, calling us "stupid", demanding his iPad (yes, he has an iPad), screaming and crying if he can't have yet another Thomas the Train (when he was bought one that very day), hitting his 7-month-old brother, etc. Well, she doesn't completely ignore it; she will say "if you do that again ...", but NEVER follows through, and our grandson knows it. It is very stressful to be around. He simply is never told "no" when it actually means "no". For this reason he whines incessantly, knowing he will wear our daughter down, and he does. When I suggested (unsolicited) that ignoring the behavior maybe isn't working (he is almost 3 and she has been ignoring since before he was 2), she gets really upset. Are there really grandparents out there that get to spoil the child and return to the parents?
- —Guest TJ
Two Year Olds are Great!!!
- While my grandson can be testy at times, pushing boundaries, etc., I have to remind myself that he is inquisitive and curious. The world is new to him and he learns from his "annoying" habits. It is a test of our own character how we respond to our grandchildrens' tantrums, curiosity and getting into things. They learn and we learn, hopefully together!
- —LiamsGrandma
Individuals always terrific
- I think all two's are different. For the life of me, I don't remember any two's including my siblings or my own children that would do what my 2year old grandson does and that is... take matters into his own hands. Today he took his "dep dool" into the kitchen, opened the fridge and tried to reach the ice cream. He has used his dep dool to turn on lights and wash his hands.. No one had to teach him to use it for other purposes. When I have to correct him, I ask him, "Whose the boss?" He always says Nana. Then we have a hug.
- —Guest Nana Connie
Grandma Henke
- My experience has been that the little darlings in this age they adore me and I rarely have a problem with them being too stubborn. I am pretty consistent in how I deal with them and they catch on really fast that I am there for them but don't do tantrums. This could be my favorite age if I didn't love the other ages so much too!
- —Guest Edna
Love the Little Pills
- I am the grandmother of 11 grandchildren. I have been directly involved with 8 of these grandchildren during their 2-3 reign of terror!. The thing I will have to say is some are just terrific even when they are terrible and some are terrible while they are being terrific. I would not have missed one minute of my time with them. But let me be very clear...they did bring me to my knees on occasion. Thank heavens their grandfather has usually been right at my elbow to help. Good love their little peaked heads!! :) Barbara http://www.retireinstyleblog.com
- —Sirrot
Surprisingly good
- My grandson has been great during his second year (nearly to his third, now) ... most of the time. He would be a little stinker now and then, but rarely in public (he knows better) and rarely to others (he knows better there, too). Most of his tantrums and such were at home, with Mom and Dad, where he knew he was safe to be a snot and still be loved. Although he did learn about time-outs during his second year, too. At first, he'd put himself in a time out himself when he knew he'd done something he shouldn't have. Later, as he got further into the second year, he became more resistant to the two-minute time outs. Overall, though, he's been surprisingly good, so good even during illness that it's been hard sometimes for my daughter to know that he's actually quite sick. He doesn't act out when sick and if there's no fever, it sometimes takes a while for Mom and Dad to figure out they better get the poor kid to the doctor. Strep, flu, ear infections have had their way, unfortunately.
- —Guest Lisa @ Grandma's Briefs
Two-year-olds
- I love two-year-olds, especially as grandchildren. Having a little distance helps me see that much of the conflict is because adults don't have time to let the baby explore and try to do things independently. As a grandparent I'm not trying to do much more than just enjoy the baby and I can see that he's just curious and eager to experience the world. Just commenting in a positive way about all he's learning can help the parents keep things in perspective.
- —TravelinOma
Better at Two
- I have always found that the time from 18 to 24 months to be the most difficult. At least by the age of two, they have a brain! You can reason with them and they understand the notion of delay. Plus they are adorable!
- —Guest BBB
Terrible Twos can be Terrific
- Two year olds are attempting to achieve autonomy. It can be very frustrating for them, but if they fail it can re-manifest when they become teenagers (imagine twos to tweens Richter scale). Keep in mind how much two year olds have to learn and help them become independent by allowing them to make mistakes with you as their security and safe guard .
- —S_Khalsa
The Grandmother of the little cowboy !
- I am the proud Grandmother of two little Grandsons,a 2 month old and an almost 2 year old....and I think the two stage is the worst...yes they are learning more and more ..every day, but everything is NO!!!!!NO
- —Guest Moira Adams
Twos & Threes and Boundaries
- Two and three year olds are really on the go, exploring their world. This is the time when children really need to have parents put consciously thought out boundaries in place, so that two- and three-year old energy gets channeled in a way that will benefit them as people forever. To an infant, the world naturally revolves around them, you see. When kids hit two and three, they begin to realize that this may not actually be so (hence the temper). If they aren't taught that they are not the center of the universe now, they will indeed be most likely to remain unhealthily egocentric throughout their entire lives.
- —BethPete
I Love the Twos
- Sure they can be a handful but their energy, curiosity and enthusiasm for life is so wonderful to watch.
- —ElaineLemm
Two year olds
- I was so pleasantly surprised when my kids reached 2 and didn't morph into monsters. I think my son was most difficult at 18 months. Don't remember my daughter at that age (common state of a child 19 months younger). Toddlers are tough because they need full-on constant watching. It's exhausting, but they are also so very funny.
- —containergardener
Most terrific
- As a mom of 4 boys, the latest just turning two this past week, I can say that it is a terrific age. Yes, difficult to navigate, but not because the child is naughty, but because it is hard to understand their way of thinking. A two year old is full of ideas and opinions that can't be vocalized. So instead, they have a short temper and a loud way of showing their feelings!! It is the best time to see that sparkle when you figure out what they are trying to say, when they solve a problem on their own and when they come to some new understanding of the world around them. I love two!!! Amy
- —Guest Amy
Barrels
- As WC Fields noted, all children should be kept in a barrel util 18. At which time the girls may be let out and the bung holes on the boy's barrels should be sealed.
- —Guest Kevin
1-15 of 19Next
