by Joelle Synclair

Created on: September 30, 2008

Every parent of a toddler has seen her loving little child turn from Jekyll to Hide without warning. Or was there a red flag that the monster inside your precious sweetie was about to rear it's ugly head? I rarely have seen a tantrum that could not be predicted. Although every child is different there are some things that are consistent across the board.

Your darling asks for a cookie so sweetly you have no other option but to say hand her one. Then all of a sudden you hear what sounds to be a dying cow. Startled and confused you see that your toddler is screaming and saying something about the cookie you just gave her. You investigate the cookie and see that it is broken. She is going crazy because you gave her a broken cookie. Toddlers reject things that do not compute with how it is supposed to be. A cookie is not supposed to be broken. The banana is not supposed to have peel left on it. The cup is not supposed to only be a third full. Since you just spent the first year or so responding to every cry and murmur she is expecting that you once again respond to her crying by fixing her problem. I never suggest giving in to crying. Once the crying starts you need to stand your ground and outlast the tantrum. However, learning to accept the broken cookie can be a lesson for another day. To us it's still a cookie. To a toddler it is "not right" or a reject. There is nothing wrong with covertly making sure things are how she expects them to be in these minor instances.

Determined to not miss any deals at the Super Saturday Sale, you look over every department in the store with child in tow. Just as you find the most flattering jeans for half price you hear what sounds to be a bullhorn. You look up but see nothing. There it is again. It's not a bullhorn, it's your toddler throwing another tantrum. Frustrated and annoyed you handle the situation in a not so kind way and the bullhorn gets louder. You finally leave the store sacrificing the jeans for your dignity. On your way out you notice the clock says it's 1:00 PM, an hour past lunch time and about an hour until nap time. Here is an important piece of advice for all new moms. If you have a baby or toddler learn to become an early bird. Toddlers see no value in foregoing a meal to save a dime on a pair of jeans. They work on instinct and when instinct says its time to eat no man, woman or child better get in the way. Toddlers also hate being tired. In fact, they hate it so much they don't even want to take naps but

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