4 Signs That Point to a Threenager – Toddler Tears and Tantrums!

dealing with toddler tantrums age three years terrible twos threes naughty advice tips how to cope

My toddler turned three – and then started the tantrums!

Warning – this post contains no tips or tricks for dealing with toddler tantrums. It contains nothing constructive or useful whatsoever. If you are looking for tips don’t bother reading on. Instead, feel free to cry with me because it is official, my son has changed – maybe it is the house move, maybe it’s a phase – who knows. I just need to get it off my chest!

Four sure fire signs that you have a Threenager dealing with toddler tantrums

So my son just turned three in June. It’s barely a month yet and already he walks around like he owns the world. I thought it was a bit of a myth – this whole talk of threenagers and the f*ck you threes. But after this last weekend I am slowly starting to fear that it isn’t a myth and that it’s all true and that we have another 11 months until we hit the fours!! Can you hear the panic in my words?

To be honest I guess I had it coming. The terrible twos weren’t really that terrible. Sure he had his moments but I could reason with him, bribe him or coerce him to come round to my way of thinking. This weekend has been a whole kettle of fish. Someone swapped my child.

Here are some incidents that occurred last weekend that have made me realise my boy isn’t a cutsey bubba anymore, but a little monkey!toddler tantrums how to deal with them mummy blogger parenting stress reassurance

Hygiene

In the last three days his hygiene standards have slipped. He now wipes his nose on the car door. Yep, I open up the car door to get him out and it is covered in snot. When I asked him what was all over the car door, he looked at me as if I’d gone mad and calmly said “Snot. I wiped my nose mummy”. Brilliant.

We’ve also taken a few steps back regarding potty training (massive sigh here). B is happy to poo in his pants and he proclaimed to Grandma that he needed a wee and asked her if could he do it in her plant pot.

Manners

These are non-existent at the moment. I’ve been told to go away, I’ve been hit and slapped and shouted at. He honestly just doesn’t care.

An update a year on – we stall have a few hitting issues. They usually start if we say no to something. We get the “foot stamp” too.

Compassion

Again, non existent. I stubbed my toe really badly on a bit of metal and he laughed at me. I was literally sobbing my eyes out. He gets up and returns with his play saw, telling me he’ll cut my toe off. Yeahhhhh. Thanks buddy.

Patience

To be fair this has been void for months now. B is like a little ticking time bomb – anything could set him off at any minute! This morning it was 6am and it was a nee-thread. Quick explanation, the “nee” is a blanket he has and he likes to pick out the threads, roll them up and stick them up his nose. Yes, I’m aware this isn’t a great situation. So this morning he went ballistic because he’d got a thread stuck up his nostril. A quick blow and panic over. And here is the infamous “nee” !!

toddler tantrums how to deal with them mummy blogger parenting stress reassurance

Even a quick game of football or a ride on his bike turns in to carnage at the moment. I honestly thought b and mr d had had an accident on Sunday morning when I saw Mr d carrying b across the courtyard where we live. Instead the reality was that b had a strop because daddy wouldn’t carry him on his shoulders. Cue daddy having to leave the bike in the street to carry b home.

Sigh. Mum friends tell me it is a developmental leap, that it’s a phase. I’m not so sure…! Please tell me it is just a phase haha!

dealing with toddler tantrums age three years terrible twos threes naughty advice tips how to cope

17 comments

  1. Oh man we are nearly at 3! Bless must be so hard if he has done a U turn. Fingers crossed just a phase. I have started walking away if we daughter constantly refuses to do things and definitely following through with threats after a warning. Often causes tears but works in the end. Good luck!! Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst

  2. ah yes we had slapping and biting probably from 18 mths until 2 or so. then it stopped. a reward sticker chart helped massively here. and now the hitting is back :/

  3. yep we have rages daily at the mo and it\’s doing my blinkin head in. if he doesn\’t get his way, that\’s it. im sure it WILL pass. deep breath and calm haha x

  4. yep patience is non existent here. and he has started hitting again which I find really upsetting. his speech is really good so there is no reason why he cant communicate his frustrations!

  5. Oh boy do I know this feeling. My son turned 3 in June as well (twinsies!) and I felt like he must have been swapped with a tiny demon while I slept.
    He\’s much better now, thank goodness, once we established the boundaries again. I swear it\’s like every couple of months he starts trying it again to see what he can get away with. We seem to be just starting another difficult period right now, and I don\’t care for it. But at least now I know it\’s temporary and at some point my nice kid will come back.

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