Description "Terrible Two’s"

...I hear people talking about this concept.

Can you describe what it means in your house? How severe is it?

Well, I think you know the troubles we're having already.

But for us the 'terrible twos' have mainly meant DD1 is really pushing the boundaries - refusing to listen or complete simple tasks where she had been doing them fine, throwing terrible tantrums over the slightest thing and being rough with her hands.

Hmmmm...depends on the day. She is definitely more upset and inconsolable when she is sick, it's neverending and one of the signs we look for. A 'normal' (ie: what we think is normal but probably good for her at this stage) day will see some tantrums but not all the time, usually when she's getting tired or frustrated, I couldn't put a number on it. If she's tired she will also be very easily upset, but in a different way to when she's sick. Tired tantrums are a lot more about the screaming and anger and sick tantrums are really upset, hard to console and start with little or no reason e.g. sitting on the couch holding her bunny with me right there in the room and she starts crying.

Definately had more of the real-tears-sad-inconsolable crying lately. We don't really get angry tantrums though...she will do one or two loud screams and pull a furious face but won't tantrum as such.

She's been miserable BUT she has been awake for hours upon hours again every night. Hence why I am posting at 5.5am . She's been awake since 1am...just lying there alone in her bed singing, laughing, squealign and carrying on loudly.

One was half through but then it disappeared :(

FionaS wrote: So would lots and lots of tears over everything (inconsolable tears over everything all day long) be part of that? Or should I suspect illness?

We also have found that Alyssa's version of "the terrible two's" have involved more crying over things than she used to. We don't get the temper tantrums here (touch wood), but she certainly does cry more readily when she doesn't get what she wants. We noticed she hadn't cried for a really long time, and suddenly it seemed every day she was in tears over the most minor things.

This seemed to start literally as soon as she turned 2, but it has been a little over a month now and it's nowhere near as bad as when it first started... I like to think that she has simply figured out that she doesn't get her way just because she's crying about it.

Seems like 2 is a stage of BIG emotions that totally overwhelm them. Must be tough being 2...glad I don't remember [/QUOTE]
That is a very good way of describing it. It is also compounded by many 2 year olds not having enough words (or the right words) to expain the problem/what they want or what they are feeling. Some shout and rant and some cry at a moments notice. We can really see some of our personality traits coming out in Amy (and not always the good ones )