Yes I have a 2 Year Old, You Can Stop Staring Now!

This past weekend I was having lunch with my friend and her daughter. Our girls are the same age and they are in the same dance class. Afer class we occasionally go out to to lunch. This Saturday we decided to go to Cracker Barrel and of course we had to wait about 20 minutes for a table because it was Saturday. Luckily we got through that waiting period with no problems!

Once we sat down we ordered our food and waited once again. This time wasn’t so smooth. If you are the parent of a toddler you can understand that lunch with two 2-year-olds may not be a walk in the park, I have fully accepted this LOL.

One kid wanted to play with the little table game which we only had one of, so we got another from a table nearby. Fair enough right? No, because they both are territorial and want to play with both and not share. LOL. The food finally came and we began to eat and enjoy each others company.

Once we were done eating my friend and I just sat talking. We are both entrepreneurs so we try to talk about ways we can collaborate and what’s going on with our respective businesses. But of course with 2-year-olds your lunch date can quickly turn left real quick.

This is a message to people who stare when my toddler has a tantrum. Yes, I have a 2-year-old and yes she has meltdowns. Toddlers do not have the brain to handle different emotions like adults. They are either completely happy or completely sad, but they cannot balance the two. When toddlers become overwhelmed, which is quite easy to do when you have an immature brain and very limited ways to express your feelings, it can go downhill quickly.

Tantrums and meltdowns normal for toddlers and they are actually healthy for child development. It is and can be very exhausting for us as parents when our toddlers have tantrums but A tantrum is not misbehavior so please understand this message.

So to the women staring at the table next to us. No, I am not going to spank my child because she is having a tantrum. She is just expressing herself in the best way that she can at that moment and I am not sorry. Instead, I will tell my child that it is ok and that “Mommy is here”. Screaming back at her won’t help the situation. If possible I try to take her out of the environment and get somewhere and try to calm her down. Listen, I am still learning in this parenting world and I am not perfect. But, please stop staring at me when my toddler is having a tantrum in public.

Signed Just a Mom who loves her child.

Do you have a toddler? What are your experiences with tantrums? What do you do to calm your child down?

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