Gentle Parenting Toddlers…you’ve got this!

Just a quick post today…about toddlers…

Littlest Boo is definitely embracing toddler-hood and all the wonderfulness that this phase of his life entails.

He’s gone from eyelash fluttering butter wouldn’t melt angel baby to an often screaming heap on the floor.

All because we do something horrendous like try to remove his soaking wet socks or stop him running in front of a bus.

Being a toddler is difficult. Scrap that, being human is difficult.

Emotions are powerful and can be pretty confusing!

Seemingly, overnight our baby has found his voice and has become our strong-willed monster and I love it! (When I’m not rocking back and forth repeating the words “Wow you really want that xyz. Mummy can’t let you xyz because it’s dangerous.”)

With our first son, the beginnings of the toddler meltdowns came as a bit of a shock.

Being the perfect first-time parents that we were, we thought that we’d escaped the dreaded ‘toddler tantrums’. Somehow, with our pure awesomeness we had avoided the inevitable!

I was a few weeks pregnant with our second child when we realised how naive we had been and to be honest it freaked us out a little!

I may have even had the slightest wobble about whether this gentle parenting malarkey was actually going to cut it.

Being a parent is challenging enough but being a first-time-parent can be even harder.

I mean…deciding what kind of parent you want to be is kind of a big deal.

Once you’ve read the books, the forums the first 23 pages of google and decided on your parenting style you’re thrust into a world that you never knew existed before.

A world where everyone has conflicting views and pre-conceived ideas about what your child will become should you decide to ignore their wisdom.

THANKFULLY, this time it’s different.

This time we can relax.

This time we know it works.

This time we can ignore the glares and the passers-by who tell us he just ‘needs a good slap’ or to be “locked in his room”.

This time we know that given enough time it will all click into place.

It may not feel like it’s working all of the time and that’s ok.

Day by day, week by week and month by month…you’re amazing toddler will grow into an awesome little child.

I know this because one-day, without us really noticing when exactly it happened…our little toddler became a child.

A child who says please and thank-you’s without being forced, apologises if he lashes out in anger, hugs his brother like we hug him and understands when things are non-negotiable.

We’re on the same team.

Some days are still tough.

Some days it still feels like nothing is working as it should.

But, this time we know how amazing the gentle parenting strategies are.

So, if you’re a parent who’s toddler is a mess on the floor for the third time that day…just keep going…you’ve got this!

Keep setting firm limits and keep respecting feelings.

Keep being gentle.

It will work.

(Most of the time 😜 )