by Lisa Morgan

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

Oh, the Terrible Two's, that time in a child's life when he or she decides the world just isn't running the way it should and attempt to take over total control of it. When your small, mostly well-behaved child suddenly decides to give Atta the Hun a run for his title on who can bring about the greatest amount of destruction and terror to those territories, they believe they should control. As a parent all you can do is brace yourself for the impact and hope there is light at the end of tunnel, while praying for divine intervention in not losing your wits when you need them the most.

A tantrum can be brought about for any number of reasons, they're hungry and want to eat, they're not hungry and you're trying to feed them, they've become fashion divas of their own design and you're attempting to dress them in something that mostly matches, while the fashion police quietly staking out your house for a possible violation code as your child attempts to put together an ensemble that would make a golfer blush. The list is long and appears not to follow any sort of traceable pathway to salvation, if your child was a storm on a radar map, weathermen would be throwing their prediction papers into the air and walking away in disgust at the sear chaos of the situation.

Take heart, this stage couldn't possibly last for more than another sixteen or seventeen years; since that is usually when the parental expiration date of being able to control your child's behavior arrives. The terrible two's are usually the launching pad for your child to start questioning your rules, their limits and how far they can push you without a complete nuclear breakdown on your part, and push they will, with the total abandon that only a child can muster with ease.

I have been through the Terrible Two's five times in my life, after the first one I thought I had it under control, I thought I was prepared when my next one stepped up to the plate for his turn at unruly behavior, I was wrong. As each of my children turned two it was a whole new experience, each with their own unique technique of driving mommy crazy, each ingeniously thought out strategy different and unpredictable. But I have come up a few standard rules that I had down pat by the time my third child turned two that I will share with you in negotiating a peace treaty with your tyrant to maintain a certain amount of sanity in your household.

Now is the time to start setting up the ground rules for future skirmishes and battles

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