What we can all learn from an epic 2-year-old tantrum

This morning was a real doozy. The kind of morning during which a headache descended on me before I could even change out of my pajamas.
 
We have been traveling quite a bit in recent weeks with our two-year-old daughter, J. When we travel, J. tends to become overly attached to us, and it generally takes a few days back in the home routine to recover.
 
J. woke before 6:00 am in our bed and began wailing for her daddy (my husband, Arun), who was in the shower. She then edged herself off the bed toward the bathroom, banging on the door to get his attention. Despite my pleas for her to return to bed to snuggle with me, she ignored me, continued crying, and laid herself down on the floor outside the bathroom.

A few minutes after the shower turned off, the door opened, and Arun invited J. in to ‘help’ him get dressed. This was all fine and dandy until Arun had to leave the house to head to work.
 
She was absolutely inconsolable. Literally screaming at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her innocent little face. Nothing I said provided any comfort. She wouldn’t allow me to hold her. There was nothing I could do but wait out the protest. This meltdown went on for what seemed like an eternity.
 
Finally, she agreed to come back to bed with me and look at pictures on my phone. Her smile emerged behind her paci. She seemed exhausted.
 
The crying started up again when I put my phone away. Somehow, I was able to convince her to get dressed and got her off to school, thinking, “dear lord, I need a coffee!”. A coffee and a drink later. 

What can we learn from this foray into toddler dramatics? 

1.   Stubbornness (sometimes) pays off. If you set your mind to something and don’t take no for an answer, you will sometimes win. J.’s stubborn streak won her some extra face time with daddy this morning. But, ultimately, she lost the battle to get him to stay home from work.

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2.   Logic doesn’t always prevail. There are certain situations in which logic will never overcome. For example, when dealing with a distraught two-year-old. Recognize this scenario and take another tact.

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3.   Accept the things you cannot change. We would all do well to remember the Serenity Prayer (by Reinhold Neibuhr): 
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God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can; 
and wisdom to know the difference.

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4.    The sun will come out tomorrow. There is always the hope of a better tomorrow, even through the difficulties of the present.

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5.   Never underestimate the power of one’s voice. Toddlers sometimes use it to exasperate their parents into submission. But we adults can use our voices to do great things.

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Onward, my friends! Enjoy the rest of your week.
 
You may also like these blogs by Megan Sharma:
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Baby/toddler travel guide series: what to pack
Baby/toddler travel guide series: going international
Swim diapers are a LIE
A brand new day
What is a parent?
The dawn of a new era: B.B. and A.B.
New Mommyhood Initiation