Dealing with Tantrums and your Toddler

Dealing with Tantrums and your Toddler

Finally! A parent that feels the same way I do about tantrums. My girls are so very different from each other. My oldest is eager to please and very mindful. My youngest is self-willed, stubborn and will push the envelope constantly. It is a struggle to get past the nagging, whining and all out tantrums of our youngest. Time outs have become my new best friend because she HATES them. She always comes out smiling and apologetic. Hopefully it will finally get through to her that the smiling and happy girl is what we need her to be ALL the time.

I've noticed that the tantrums don't happen at home very often, but when we are among friends and when people drop in at the house. All of a sudden she wants mommy and she is not quiet about it. I KNOW she is a manipulator. She knows that she will not get the attention from me she is seeking if she throws a fit, but inevitably someone will come over to her and ask her, "What's wrong little one?" Oh how I wish I could tell them to take a hike. You are only giving her exactly what she wants - to be the center of attention. What she does is freaks out even more vociferously with the crying and yelling (no kicking, thank goodness) in an effort to force me to acquiesce.

Toddler-Tailored Workouts

Toddler-Tailored Workouts

More toddler tailored workouts from Quality Health. The ideas in this article are very similar to the previous with the added benefit or suggestion of reinforcing the exercise with playful music and reading activities. As with anything making the subject run the course of the day will make a super impact on the little growing minds of our toddlers.

It's all to easy to let the television be the babysitter, but we have to take responsibility for our children's development - intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Looking at my little one I see that in body type and shape she is my carbon copy. Right now I am very overweight and struggling to get that weight off. I know that if I don't start emphasizing the importance of exercise now to both my girls they are going to have very difficult teenage and early adulthood years struggling with body image. I have to continually remind my oldest that though she is not as "padded" as her baby sister she should never, never, never, ever call her fat or chubby. We don't want to bring negative attention to something she only has partial control over. If she is anything like me she will never be dainty and svelt, but curvaceous and strong. She and I have to work together to form a healthy relationship with the body type we have inherited and find the best way to work with it.

Daily I try to emphasize how healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are good for you and help you grow big and strong. We need to eat our proteins so that our muscles, bones and brains grow. That sweets are OK in small portions and not very frequently because if we eat too much our teeth will go bad and it puts us in a really bad mood (believe me it does). Don't get me wrong, we have lapses in our (my) will-power and we'll make cookies, cake, muffins or cupcakes (not all at once :-P). I just don't want that to be a running theme in our house like it was in my grandmother's house and even in my own growing up even though I had a mother who could not eat sugar. My dad could and he ate it to reckless abandon - still does today.

So, even though I was never really encouraged to exercise and was surrounded by sweets constantly which led to being overweight as a teenager and constantly picked on that I wasn't a twiggy like the rest I am going to try and change that trend. Everything in moderation. Love the body you have and learn to work with it. Physical activity is necessary for our growth physically and mentally.

Toddler exercises and activities. Today's FREE, Fun, Crafty Toddler activity.

Toddler exercises and activities. Today's FREE, Fun, Crafty Toddler activity.

I've been looking for ways to get my 3 year old off the couch and more active during times when I have to be working with my 6 year old's schoolwork. It can be hard at times to balance time between the two. The toddler activities in this article seem fun and really easy. I'm going to try them today.