Terrible Two's or Three's?

iluvgummies · #1 May 1st, 2012, 03:55 AM

Now that our LO's are more than halfway done with being 3 I was wondering, was your LO more terrible while he or she was 2 or 3?

Erin80 · #2 May 1st, 2012, 04:58 AM

3 by FAAAAAR. She was an awesome 1 year old and an awesome 2 year old. At 3 1/2 though, she's showing A LOT of attitude and sassiness.

Sonshine1296 · #3 May 1st, 2012, 08:29 AM

Three for sure. Two's were awesome! (Not that threes are not great a lot of the time but she is way more sassy and frustrating now.)

Twhylite21 · #4 May 1st, 2012, 08:53 AM

Lily was amazing until she hit 3 and then the whiny phase/tantrums started. Super sucks for me because Vi hit the stage right before turning 2, so right now I have both of them in this stage

doremi · #5 May 1st, 2012, 01:08 PM

1.5 yrs was the hardest for us, 2 wasn't bad, and 3 has definitely been a challenge!

see_jay_elle · #6 May 1st, 2012, 06:47 PM

3.5 - these past few months of tantrums & whining have been AWFUL! I know he has a reason behind it on top of just the 3 year old sassiness, but yikes.

kll074 · #7 May 1st, 2012, 06:54 PM

2 1/2 she was terrible! When she turned 3 she became angelic BUT for the past month the temper tantrums have really started and her behavior is starting to go down hill again.

DH and I were talking about Kaitlin tonight and we both agreed that when she is good, she is a great child....helpful, polite, caring, sweet, follows directions etc. But, when she is tired or wants to push buttons she can be an absolute brat.

Kendall is 2 1/2 and it definitely is the TERRIBLE TWOs with her!

Fortunately both my girls save most of their bad behavior and temper tantrums for home. They are very well behaved when we go places.

Effervescence · #8 May 1st, 2012, 07:22 PM

See, I LOVE the age of three. It is challenging, but I think it also offers more fun moments as well. I HATE two. I mean I love my kids even when they are two, but that is my least favorite age (before the teens, that is!)Age 1 is fun because they are (well, supposed to be, Jonah not so much) hitting so many milestones and since I studied a lot of early cognition, I really enjoy watching all of these little things happen in their brains. Then two hits, they have their language explosion, then a cognitive lull. Then three, and BAM, they are doing all kinds of crazy stuff with grammar and problem solving and motor skills. It is trying because they are learning to push social boundaries, learning what is appropriate, what is not, they whine a LOT.. but I think all of the fun milestones makes up for that. I'll take whining over the tantrums without the skills to tell a whole lot about why they are having the tantrum....

Also on a personal level, two was hard for us because Jonah was still very dependent and clumsy. Right up until his second birthday he really couldn't walk, he had I think two or three words, the rest was signing that only I understood... It was very challenging with his delays and then adding Eve on top of it. Going into birthday #2, Evie seems a lot easier than Jonah was at this point.

Sonshine1296 · #9 May 1st, 2012, 07:42 PM

[QUOTE=Effervescence;25976423]It is trying because they are learning to push social boundaries, learning what is appropriate, what is not, they whine a LOT.. but I think all of the fun milestones makes up for that. I'll take whining over the tantrums without the skills to tell a whole lot about why they are having the tantrum....
QUOTE]

I think this is why three is so hard. At two (during the tantrums which by the way she still has sometimes lol) I could dismiss her behavior easier because she didn't know better yet. Now, I feel like it's so sneaky and manipulative and that she knows what she is doing so it frustrates me more. lol

Kierasmom · #10 May 1st, 2012, 08:22 PM

This is the easy part. Wait until they are in the early teens.

kalis · #11 May 2nd, 2012, 08:25 AM

She really behaved well up until she turned three. It was after that when she started doing the whining and a few fits. Now she has been disobeying and trying to argue with us. I will be happy when she gets past that. I think she is beginning to learn that it doesn't work. So three has been more 'terrible' than two.

LisaB · #12 May 2nd, 2012, 11:17 PM

I like three better than two. True, they are more bossy and demanding now, but they also listen and reason more than they did at two. At two, I couldn't take them on a walk because they would run in different directions and totally ignore me. Now they not only listen to me but understand the danger of cars and going where I can't see them. Maybe it's because I have twins and having control over them is paramount, but I love 3!

iluvgummies · #13 May 3rd, 2012, 08:38 AM

Dom's worst point, so far, was right around the 3rd birthday. Last summer was awful and it mostly continued until Christmas time. That being said, he has become more whiny lately and, like others said, when he does misbehave now it's more frustrating b/c you know, for the most part, he knows better. It's more deliberate. So I just try to focus on the positives each stage!

On a related note, as Ella approaches her 2nd birthday she is WAY worse than Dom was at this age! Oh, the tantrums she throws and her whininess (I think Dom is getting it from her!) She is so cute at times, but she is definitely becoming more of a handful than Dom. *sigh*