The Temper Tantrum Myth

Becoming a parent ultimately means that you are going to have to deal with those dreaded “terrible two’s”… eventually. We smile whenever we look down at our newly pregnant bellies, rubbing gently, and thinking to ourselves “Our special little angel will NEVER go through that, our child will be different.” Then, our bellies begin to swell and get bigger, and we start to think, “Welp, this is harder than I thought, but doable nonetheless!” Eventually, you give birth and realize, “What the hell did I get myself into?!”

Sleepless nights are overlooked whenever you wake up to your happy, giggling baby and you embrace your role as mother. Once Toddlerhood rolls around you feel that you have mentally prepared yourself for what you have been told is to come. Then, your little love bug blows out the candle on their 2nd birthday cake and you and your partner look at each other and say “Terrible twos…we’re ready to take you on!”

So, what is the temper tantrum myth?

The BIG myth is that these notorious temper tantrums end at age 3, when in reality, they can hit at ANYTIME! As they get older, these temper tantrums are explained away by using the words “mood swing, meltdown, having a moment, etc,” BUT its all the SAME!

Insert my Friday night experience:

Branden had a long day of school, and I knew that since he had been up since 6:30am, with school running from 8am-4pm. But we were invited to the press launch of Drama Llama Studios and it was going to be a fun-filled night for him! He had a total blast at the event, even though I worried that going straight from school and be out for the evening would tire him. It didn’t… until it was time to head home on the subway.

We waited for the train and chatted about the wonderful event. When the train arrived and we both could see that it was packed. I could sense Branden’s worry about finding a seat to sit and play his tablet until we got to our stop, so I bent down and nicely explained that we probably won’t be sitting and he would have to be a “big boy” and stand. Apparently those were the trigger words that did it.

We hopped on the train and the temper tantrum began because at that moment, my sweet 5 year old decided that it would be “nice of me to ask someone to give their seat to him.” Yup, you read correctly. The battle began with me trying to explain to him that isn’t socially acceptable and him not understanding why. We battled ALMOST all the way home.

Then, in typical New York City fashion, we needed to switch trains because the one we were on was about to bypass our stop. We waited in silence, me too angry and embarrassed to look at him. We got on a new train that was much less crowded, and Branden had a seat. Since I was carrying all my stuff plus his backpack, and we were close to home, I let him know that I wasn’t able to get his tablet to him. This started it all over again and an even bigger battle went down on the D train.

I was so mortified, as I’ve never had to yell or reprimand him like this in public. It was bad, and he got grounded! Needless to say, I’m still getting over the embarrassment of almost crying and having a “mommy meltdown” on the train, and Branden is still learning his lesson.

At the end of the day, we can’t blame ourselves or prepare ourselves for these temper tantrums. We’re all human, and we even have them as adults from time to time. We just have to roll with the punches and take on the temper tantrums as they come at us!

Have a meltdown moment to share? Comment below…I can’t be the ONLY one who has experienced this!

Fashionably Yours,

Allison