Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Almost 2 and already got attitude!

I know she looks all sweet and cute in this photo and for the most part she is but boy, oh boy, has she got sass! Sometimes I have to look the other way as she's giving me attitude because it can be pretty funny. Other times, I have to walk away and remind myself that she is only 2. And where did she learn to scream? Do little boys do this? How is it that little girls always learn how to scream? Emma has really enjoyed practicing screaming lately. Not out of anger or frustration, well sometimes, but mostly just to hear herself and see how we are going to react. My biggest challenge is figuring out what to do. Is she old enough for time outs? Or are these fits and tantrums a stage that parents of 2 year have to endure until they grow out of it? I've been meaning to check out some books on the subject. Any recommendations? And what about church, at what age can we realistically expect a child to sit quietly? I realize that all kids are unique and develop at their own rate so the answers to my questions are probably varied. One thing I find interesting is that the tantrums usually only happen in front of her dad and I. She seems to be a sweet little angel when we're not around! Despite the tantrums and screaming, I absolutely love watching how much she is learning. Her language has blossomed so nicely lately! It's fun to hear her say her little words, like "peetaboo" instead of peekaboo and "quackoo" instead of cracker. I just love her to pieces! She really is sweet. I am so, so glad that I get to be her mom : ) I'd love to hear any words of advice or cute stories that you'd like to share!

8 comments:

Tonya said...

That is one cute, sassy two year old you have! Two can be so challenging. The good thing is that she is testing her boundaries with just you and Mike. It means she feels safe and secure and she knows that you will love her regardless. Time outs were not effective with my kids until closer to three, but all kids are different. Kids just love to scream, even boys! Ivy loves to have a choice in everything she does. The red or the pink, cold cereal or hot cereal, hold Mommy's hand or Rylie's hand. This seems to cut down on some of her tantrums, but sometimes she just freaks. It's all part of parenting fun. I have days where I just have to laugh and days where I just really need a time out and unfortunately, days that I explode. And my kids love me regardless. Kids are a great blessing even when they drive us nuts!

Julee and Matt said...

She is so cute! I just love your little sassy pants! Two is so fun, but really hard. When Madyson and even now with Macee throws a tantrum I just walk out of the room, or but them in their rooms. You have to let her know it's fine for her to feel upset and want to cry, but you don't have to listen to it. I started that with Madyson a little before two and we have little problems with her. Church is hard...they are all different, but the girls do alright. Macee wants to get down and play, but Madyson is good if she has something to do..color, read, eat. I started with timeouts and they work well, but you just can't have them last really long. Check out Babycenter.com, they have great advice on when is good to start timeouts. Good luck!

Kirsten said...

What a cutie she is. Really she is darling. What great pictures. "Busy" is starting to act more her age, meaning difficult : ) We can share 2 year old drama stories.

Taylor said...

Emma looks like a movie star with those sun glasses! How is life in Oregon? We're doin pretty good up here. How did you put the graphic of the water cooler next to your blog title?

Anonymous said...

She is so cute!! Try watching Super Nanny..she's great!

Jodi said...

She is seriously CUTE!
2 can be an interesting age. I know we struggled with Ben A LOT. I can remember calling my mom and saying 'I don't know what is wrong with him. Maybe he is a bad seed!' Makes me laugh now because at 5 he listens, behaves, makes great choices. He's a super kid. SOOOO, the point is...it REALLY IS just a stage she is going through.
My advice for the church thing...sit in the back where you can make a quick escape into the foyer :)

Margaret said...

Hey Dani! Your daughter is adorable!

I found your blog through Rachel's blog!

Our family blog is http://the-hansens.blogspot.com

Jeralee said...

Hi Dani!

I found your blog through Rachel's blog as well! As for the parenting tips, I totally recommend "SuperNanny How to The Best Out of Your Children" by Joe Frost. Two isn't too young to start implementing the naughty spot technique. Anyway, I totally subscribe to her discipline techniques and we have used them for a few years with great success.

Emma is a cutie!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9781401308100&ourl=Supernanny%2FJo%2DFrost