Parent to Parent: Terrible Twos

WSVN -- Angela Galleno is a lucky woman.

She has three men in her life -- husband Joey, 5-year-old Gabriel and then there's 2-year-old Danny.

Angela Galleno: "Oh, he's tested me a lot. Every time he'd do something, he'd come back. I'd say, 'Don't do that.' He'd go back and find something else to do."

You see, Danny's going through what all parents know as the terrible twos.

Joey Galleno: "He gets mad, he stomps his feet, and he slams things on the floor, he dives on the floor."

And no matter what mom and dad do, it just doesn't seem to work.

Joey Galleno: "We've tried everything. We've tried time out."

Angela: "We have a little time out chair."

Joey: "We take away the toys."

But 7 News Parenting Expert Dr. Valerie Goode says you can limit the outbursts by following a routine.

Allow for a regular nap and don't overschedule.

Children are more likely to have tantrums when they're tired.

You can also avoid conflict by not offering too many choices.

Dr. Valerie: "You want to give them two choices. If they're a little bit older, you give them three choices."

Then, when they do have a tantrum, leave them alone, and let them work through it.

Dr. Valerie: "The most important thing in all of this is that you maintain your demeanor. If you lose it, then he doesn't feel safe anymore."

Distraction works too.

If your child is small enough, pick them up and change their location.

You can also hold or restrain them while they're crying.

But the worst thing you can do is get angry and stoop to your child's level.

Dr. Valerie: "You're always the mom, your child is always the child. Don't let the roles be reversed."

Angela and Joey are taking that advice to heart.

They love watching Danny develop into a little man but can't wait for an end to the terrible twos.

Angela Galleno: "Overall, he's a good two-year-old, nothing we can't handle."

Joey Galleno: "We expect it to be over soon, we hope. We hope to move on."

IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN DR. VALERIE CAN HELP YOU WITH E-MAIL US AT:
parent@wsvn.com

Dr. Valerie Goode
305-667-5232
7711 SW 62 Avenue
Suite 203
Miami, FL 33143