Toddler Madness

Anna's going through a change of life...and boy, what a change! It seems like this whole summer she's just been so much FUN, so silly and loving and adventurous and playful. My mom warned me to remember those moments and embrace them while they lasted, and she was right. Anna's temper and mood has just plummeted in the past three weeks, in direct association to when she started walking.

My days have been stressful, dealing with her impending terrible two-ness, and I have to say a lot of it is because she just seems so much more "terrible" than the other kids her age that we know. The constant crying fits over everything are making me crazy. She'll be so sweet and we'll be having fun and I'll be thinking, "Here's the girl I know and love", and then she'll settle into her bi-polar up-and-down every 3 minutes routine and I just want to send her back for a full refund.

Her behavior, while on a normal scale for her age group, just stands out as so much more dramatic and overwhelming than the other nearly-two and two-year-olds that we know. It's much worse when we're around just about anybody else, but especially other kids. The playdates aren't fun anymore because her drama keeps her from being able to interact with any of the other kids, and the constant crying while everyone else is letting loose and having fun really saps my temper.

We're working on it slowly,and I'm striving to be patient and not lock her in a closet, but I have a feeling this is something only time will improve upon. I also know for a fact, have always known, that she's just super dooper sensitive to anything and everything that stimulates her, even if it's something good, like the park, which she loves. It's actually very common in children with dissociation of maturation, which she was diagnosed with earlier this year. Many of these kids have frustration issues and are more prone to fits of temper and drama. I keep reminding myself that she's not being "bad", she's just dealing with all the new things (walking, independance, a growing realization of wants and dislikes) all at once. All these new and exciting developments are good, but often overwhelming, especially with Anna's super-sensitive personality.

SO. I'm working to avoid situations where I just know she's going to have trouble, like being out when she's tired and/or hungry. She's not allowed to hit or kick and fortunately that's something that she really seems to understand. Mostly, though, Kurt and I both and just trying to dredge up as much patience as we can, enjoying Anna's good moods while they last and getting through the bad ones as quickly, cleanly and sanely as possible.

Spare patience lying around the house and gathering dust? Send some our way, we'll see it's put to good use!