Tantrums!!!

The so-called "terrible twos" are nearing their end for Maïa, and the tantrums, which marked the first few months of her twos, have returned with a vengeance. She had been stressed out for a number of weeks with small toilet-related accidents and high expectations from her parents. Once they layed off, the accidents tapered off and the tantrums began. Perhaps the two are not connected, and there may well be other circumstances that are stressing her out and causing her to blow a fuse.

And these are not the simple screaming tantrums: these are full-body, full-on meltdowns. Screaming, kicking, writhing... she stops short at foaming at the mouth. And most people who know her would say, "no way! Not Maïa!" Indeed... Alas, yes, Maïa. The otherwise gentle, calm, intense little girl has her mother's temper. And when it goes, well, all hell breaks loose. So mother and daughter are working together through it all. And just like her mother, Maïa is afraid of her own anger. She won't even say, "I'm angry." She will readily admit to being happy, sad, surprised, excited, but not angry. Ironically, Maïa's anger has hit its peak while her mother's has diminished a great amount.

Not to be left out, Solanne has begun her own sort of baby tantrum. When she doesn't get her way (which, in her opinion, is often), she tenses up her little body and lets out a growlly scream. A little writhing sometimes ensues. Luckily, she is easily distracted, so the tantrums are relatively short lived.

Ah, the sweet joys of childhood.