Are we raising a monster?

Why 2-year-olds throw tantrums?

A temper tantrum is the emotional equivalent of a summer storm — sudden and sometimes fierce, but often over as quickly as it starts. One minute you and your child are enjoying your dinner in a restaurant, the next she's whimpering, whining, and then screaming to go home. Two-year-olds are especially prone to such episodes.
Though you may worry that you're raising a tyrant, take heart — at this age, it's unlikely that your child is throwing a fit to be manipulative. More likely, she's having a meltdown in response to frustration. Often, your 2-year-old's language skills — or lack thereof — are to blame. "Two-year-olds are beginning to understand more and more of the words they hear, yet their ability to articulate their feelings and needs is limited," says Claire B. Kopp, professor of applied developmental psychology at California's Claremont Graduate University. As a result, frustration builds when your child can't express how she feels(cited from parentcenter.com).

Raising a 2-years-old bener 2x a real challege, not just physically but mentally too...gue sih masih bisa tahan for the physical part but mentally it takes whatever you got inside you...happiness, sadness, craziness..well you just name it. Dulu pas beberapa orang bilang "You just have to wait till they're 2 years old..." gue pasti mikir so what's with a 2-years-old? Ternyata betul bow...sekarang gue udah mulai ngerasain the real meaning of full temper tantrum.

Tadi malem pas gue pulang kerja, Kayla masih ceria banget..kita makan sama 2x and she looks so happy. Afterwards kita maen in our room, dia yang lead us whatever she wants to do..mulai dari main beneran sampe main yang ngaco 2x..malah we watched american idol together sambil dia niruin mereka singing and dancing. Trus kita pasangin movie for her, halfway dia mulai ngantuk and minta susu. Pas selesai minum susu dia udah mulai rewel minta turun maen sama pembantu 2x...karena udah malem dan mereka udah tidur yah otomatis 'gak kita kasih lah...nah tiba 2x dia bisa nangis sambil teriak 2x..we never saw her like that, sampe nangis-nya loncat 2x trus teriak sampe suara serak..lari kiri-kanan kayak semua mau di tabrak. Suami gue liat gitu langsung naik darah ...bener 2x Kayla 'gak bisa disuruh diem sama sekali... I even took her downstairs to show her that they're sleeping masih aja dia maksa mau buka kamar mereka 'n go inside. Gue bawa lagi keatas 'n on the way up masih teriak 2x sambil badannya goyang 2x..mana gue takut juga pas gue gendong terus jadi jatuh....teriakannya itu lho..as if we're in the slaughterhouse...

Akhirnya masuk kamar lagi dan semua pintu di kunci sama bapaknya....wuih..Kayla tambah ngamuk sampe suaranya serak, bener 2x we tried our best to calm her tapi 'gak mau juga. Trus sangking terlalu hot nangis sampe muntah sendiri trus masih nangis 2x and sekarang minta pergi naik mobil (maunya apa coba). Last effort, we just changed her clothes, took her inside the car and drove around the block. After 5 - 10 minutes she fell asleep...maybe she's already too tired. For us, it was one hellish experience..moga 2x 'gak sering kayak gini. Bener deh gue tuh semalem sampe stress rasanya..dari dibilangin, diomelin, dikasih ngerti baik 2x, di sayang 2x sampe di cuekin udah gue lakuin. If you asked me how I felt yesterday..all I can answer is " Like being hit by a thunderstorm"

Gue sempet mikir beberapa hal dan yang pertama, apakah decision kita untuk enroll her in preschool itu too soon? It can add stress to her life juga although school is only Mon-Wed-Fri from 08.00 AM-10.30 AM soale this past two days dia agak bad mood pas paginya dan sampe sekolah suka cranky. Before it was OK malah all the teachers a bit surprised kok dia sama sekali 'gak rewel considering dia sama sekali 'gak nyariin kita and so happy in school. Kedua, apakah dia too attach to the maid now? Soale biasanya 'gak begitu..baru this past week aja dia kayak kena separation anxiety or just coincidence aja?

So many questions and probabilities yet one question keeps haunting me "Are we raising a monster?"