Two year old kids can cause you a nervous breakdown with their energy, enthusiasm and absolute joie de vivre. You need to match up to their gimmicks failing which things can become extremely difficult to manage. With a bit of planning and discipline you can easily bring some control at home.
Shower him/her with abundant love
Kids need lot of love and this is the time when you can cuddle him/her up and do all the naughty things that you want to do. Once two year olds pass the age of three, they would start resisting and you will soon start missing these fun and extremely lovely sessions of love, care and perfect abandon. Make the best use of this time to create memories and help them develop their finer emotions in life. Learning to love and emote comes from these small things that you do early in their life. This will also help them develop a natural grace and fineness in behavior as they grow up. Two year olds who are showered with love and care will naturally learn to value relationship and will have a certain gentle way with other kids.
Importance of being calm and patient
Exercising calm and patience in your dealings with two year olds will be a lesson they can learn about the importance of remaining gentle and calm. Mothers who instill this attitude in them and show them how to take control of situations will have daughters/sons who are much more controlled and poised in troubled situations. Do not lose patience with her/him when he/she has done something wrong or has been a little naughty which all kids at this age are. Allow them to do whatever they want as this is the age when you can forgive and forget and let them be. Once they grow out of two years, you are going to be stern and more serious in your approach. Let them enjoy the carefree days when you can just calmly watch their every move and seek joy from it.
Make sure that punishments are meted out
Being calm and patient does not always mean that you have to be passive every time your two year old commits mistake. In such cases, it is important to let them know that you are angry and give them small punishments to make sure that they get the message and do not repeat the mistake again. Two year olds need to be punished adequately to instil certain habits and rules in their mind. This will help you curtail their wild side and make them more responsible and cautious in their behavior and habits. Punishments are part of the habit forming phase when kids learn early on what is good and what is not. Therefore, never shy away from punishing your kids and be consistent about the punishments you give as well. Never make the mistake of punishing them once for a misdeed they have done and leaving them scot free or hugging them next time they make the same mistake. This can lead to confusion in the minds of two year olds.
Fun and play time
At this age, kids require lots of fun time activities. Include a lot of activities which can be indoor as well as outdoor. Enroll them in a playschool where they will meet many other kids of their age. Allow them to play and learn new things every day. This is also the time when kids learn new words and vocabulary. Get them books, toys and learning materials that you can explore together and have fun in the process. Books, puzzles and learning tools will come of help in developing their brain as well as language and in improving their ability to communicate, understand and think logically. This is an important phase of development that needs stimulation.
Make sure that you are consistent in your actions
Two year olds are very observant and whatever they see around them, they tend to imbibe wholly. This is why it is very important to be consistent in your attitude and actions. Do not give them confusion and misunderstanding by saying and doing contradictory things. Whether it is your attitude towards them, punishments, showering of praise and love, let them know clearly that there are specific instances where you will show them love, anger etc. This will help them segregate the instances and learn to expect a certain kind of behavior from you when they are good or bad.
