How to Skip the "Terrible Twos"

Preventing whining, tantrums, and casual disobedience.

Too many parents today try to reason with their toddlers. At best, it’s humorous when an adult tries to teach advanced logic and second-order thinking to a one-year-old in the heat of a tantrum. At worst, it becomes emotional manipulation.

“How do you think mommy feels when you slap her in the face? It makes me feel really sad. You don’t want me to feel sad, do you?” As if mommy’s feelings were the arbiter between right and wrong.

Your children will never be more moldable than they are between the ages of one and four. Don’t squander this time. Above all, don’t use it to teach them the wrong lessons.

This brief guide is about getting your younger children to behave and be well-adjusted. Parents who do this will often find they skipped the so-called “terrible twos” entirely with little incident. Indeed, the terrible twos are not inevitable.

And beyond the toddler years, all the way through the teenage years, you will have saved yourself and your children from much heartache.