Terrifying Three

Dan is transitioning from terrible two to terrifying three and it is a stressful phase. He throws tantrum so easily when things don’t go his way. He’s strong, fearless and uncontrollable. He can scream to his lung get sore. If I try to hold him or to calm him down, his action gets worse. My approach is to let him get it all out. Once he’s done, he would come to me, give me hug and apologize.

It breaks my heart every time I see my kid that way, but I can’t give me. I have been through it before with Dao; therefore, I know how the game goes. Three is so terrifying because they can’t control their emotion. I am so glad that Dao has passed that stage. He is now much easier to interact with. Dan will be the same. This is just the phase that he’s going through. If he knows that I give in every time he starts tantrum, he will push it further. I made that mistake with Dao. I am not doing that again. It might seem cold and harsh for a three-year-old, but he needs to learn to control his behavior. The sooner he gets it, the better we’ll be.

I make sure that he understand that I am not ignoring him. I just can’t put up with that. Once he apologizes and gives me hug, I give him my full attention again. Being a parent is hard. I am still learning. I might need one more time to get things right.