My son is driving me up the wall!!

[cheltzey]

Paul has been SOOOOOOOOO naughty lately, and I don't know what to do! He's two, and he really is TERRIBLE. Today at the grocery store, he bit Katie, not once, but TWICE. He's never done that before. Not to mention all the kicking, hitting, pushing, etc. I was very clear that this was unacceptable behavior and I separated them, but there's only so much you can do at the grocery store, KWIM? He's obviously exhausted, but he refuses to nap. This is a new thing for him. Then he's miserable the rest of the day and I feel like I'm always angry with him. He's blatantly disobedient and goes out of his way to disobey the moment I tell him that something is bad. Nothing I say or do to him seems to make any difference. He seems to think it is all one really funny joke. We've tried time outs, removing privileges, separating him from others, excessive praising of good behavior...Please tell me this is just a stage! Do you have any suggestions? I just feel like I'm not getting through to him at all.

[Tracie Stroud]

Ugh. It's sooo much fun when they act out in public!

[Leah]

I wish I could come up with an easy solution for you - been there, done that...oh and still doing it! LOL

Our youngest is 3yrs. and he's hit a whole new ballgame in the last month as well (he just turned 3yrs. a month ago). Totally different than the terrible 2's.

My only thought would be to continue being consistent, make him aware of the unacceptable behaviour and have a drink at 5pm. hahahahaha Just kidding about that last part - dreaming!

[Nonna2Dreja]

Chelsey, I can sympathize with you....My Grandson will be 3 yrs old on the 21st of this month and 99% of the time he does not sit still, listen to us or eat his meals....He is like a super ball constantly on the go, only still when he is sleeping....When we eat, he will not stay sitting at the table with us....We have tried telling him that IF he is not going to eat his dinner that he needs to go into the living room and to sit on the couch because we ARE eating dinner....By the way, we have also tried making him sit at the table with us until we are finished eating, but have found we get more frustrated doing this because he sits and cries non-stop....I'm beginning to think that he is hyper, but what do I know....LOL I can't wait for my Daughter to take him to his 3 year Check Up....I know the Doctor will probably say this is typical for his age....

Good luck!

[sannajeannine]

I will be very interested to hear any and all ideas on this matter. My youngest DGS is almost 23 months and I have never seen a naughtier child! I realize when they are that little you can expect bad behavior, but Nathan just doesn't care at all if he pleases us or not! He will not listen, doesn't care if we say no, thinks the naughty chair is a big joke and will run from one thing to the next just trying his darndest to be bad!

[krystalhartley]

I can only sympathize as two was my favorite age with both of my kids. They are five years apart though, so maybe that makes a dfference. I don't have any experience or suggestions to share at all. I hope it works itself out soon though!

[OrianaVianey]

Oh sweetie, I though that 2 were terrible until my little one hits 3... then the fun really begins...

[jessica31876]

Mine went through that phase...the youngest being the worst. He has grown out of it but it took ALOT of punishments. I dont really have any advice though. We have went through it and still are to some degree...my youngest mostly just has temper tantrums now which at 11 is entirely unacceptable to me. I could understand it when he was 2 or 3 (didnt accept it even then though). I mostly just use timeout. If he cannto behave in an acceptable way he is not allowed to be with the rest of the family

[cheltzey]

Originally Posted by OrianaVianey

Oh sweetie, I though that 2 were terrible until my little one hits 3... then the fun really begins...

I have a 3-year-old, and she's an ANGEL compared to my 2-year-old. But her threes were worse than her twos, since she got smarter...I hope that trend doesn't continue with Paul! You might as well commit me to the looney bin now.

[Shawna]

Kyle will be two on May 3rd and we are already well into the "terrible two's" as well. I don't remember the girls ever doing half of the things he does now. He has recently become Mr. Independent and refuses to let me carry him most places, he doesn't want to ride in a stroller or shopping cart and insists he needs to walk everywhere but won't hold my hand much or stay right by me! And then of course tantrums ensue when I insist that he needs to be carried or ride in the cart, it is SO frustrating! It's to the point where I try to avoid going to the store with him because of it, but it's a pain sometimes having to wait til Rob gets home so I can go by myself. So I have no advise for you but I can totally sympathize!

[pameladonnis]

Oh, I hate that stage when they think they don't need a nap but obviously do. So frustrating. I think it's a stage, but it's definitely hard. My three year old is just now growing out of it. I do think it's maybe a boy thing too. Don't know for sure though. Just seems like my little girl has been much easier.

[Ainwena]

Not sure how you feel about reading books, but I have two to recommend for you that worked for me.

1) The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Harvey Karp. His chapter(s) on how to address a frustrating toddler is great. I talk to mine caveman style when she is about to throw a fit, and that nips 95% of the potential issues in the bud. You can skip to the chapters that pertain to your situation. I suggest reading the part on red light behaviors-lots of strategies to help you out.

2.) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Mark Weissbluth (sp?). My Sleeping Bible. This will help you figure out how to reinstate the nap in the afternoon and get healthy 10-12 hours at night. You will have to read the entire book to really understand why he isn't taking naps and how to get him back in the routine. Don't skip anything here, as he is the sleep master and his research studies help prove his solutions.

[crystalbella77]

I am so sorry sweetie!!! We have definitely had those kinds of moments. For Gabe, my oldest, once he hit three it really seemed to go uphill.....I hope that he settles down soon for you! HUGS!

[Sharon Kay]

We found out 3 boys in a row that the terrible two's...were really the terrific two's compared to the OMG I'm pulling my hair out three's! All 3 of them went nuts at age 3.

However, it is good to talk to a doctor...you may find out like I did (years later) that it wasn't just an age or something...he had some challenges that needed to be addressed (first diagnosed with ADHD and later with PDD-NOS...a forum of autism/aspergers)... so it might be good for your sanity to talk to someone who can tell you if this is normal or if he is lashing out because of being overwhelmed, frustrated, or something else... {{hugs}}