Oooh the terrible twos. The explosive, personality defining, emotionally testing, Wild West of parenting. I love it. What actually makes the twos so terrible? Well, there’s the tantrums, the never knowing truly what they want or being able to fully communicate with you. There’s also the fact that now you really are starting to raise a functioning person, they can walk, talk, eat different foods, begin toilet training and much more (of course all these timings vary, do not be worried if you’re kid isn’t doing these things, that’s absolutely fine!).

What really happens is we start to lose control of the baby that would repeat simple movements, sleep a lot and allow us to run the schedule. You now have a toddler, who can say NO!, not sleep through the night, move about on their own and have a full blown tantrum when something isn’t going their way. Parenting before wasn’t easy but now it gets turned up a notch as anxiety constantly steps in to make sure they’re safe.

Personally, of all the kids I look after, age 2 is my favourite. They really are little personality bundles and we can actually begin to understand each other. As much as there are challenging moments, there sure are amazing ones! The giggles, cuddles and special moments you have are unmatched in cuteness levels. The developmental milestones they achieve in such a short amount of time is incredible. I do recognise that yes, I have the fun part of the job where at the end of the day, I give the little one back and leave the rest to the parents. I get my escape and my me time. Whereas the parents who have just had a full day at work, now has to start their most important job, and that must be EXHAUSTING.

But let's imagine this from the kids perspective. They are experiencing new foods ALL the time and some they really don’t like. They are forced into new scenarios ALL the time and some are really not enjoyable. They are experiencing emotions that they can’t really comprehend or control yet. Walking around still takes a lot of control and sometimes they fall or knock into things. They can communicate a bit but still don’t know what you’re saying most of the time and don’t have the words to fully communicate what they want either. They have or are being weaned off of the safety of Mums breast or bottles and dummies. They are training to pee in a weird plastic potty with plenty of accidents AND THEN... you have the audacity to give them a banana with a tiny bit of brown on it. I’m not surprised they have a full blown break down tantrum. I probably would too if I was experiencing half of that!

This is a time for practising compassion. With yourself, your partner (if around) and your child. Everyone is adapting to change. You are witnessing the formation of a human and they are learning so much alongside you. You’ve done a fantastic job thus far so embrace the challenges and cherish those moments that make it all worth it. I have been witness to many families raising two year olds and the ones who cope the best are the ones who embrace ‘letting it all go’. The fantasy of being perfect, the strictness in keeping to a schedule, the parenting expectations. Do it your way. Letting things go will make you calmer. Accept some things are not in your control and you’ll be far more peaceful. Being calmer will reveal the answers you were seeking in the first place. So let it go.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or topics you would like me to discuss in future blogs please do send an email to nannyemmyquestions@gmail.com