Why I hate the term “terrible twos”.

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Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there. I remember before I had Grayson I’d say it to friends with children “oh it must be the terrible twos!!!” and I’m sure a lot of you have said it at some point or another. Since Grayson’s become a toddler, I’ve really resent the term. I’d obviously never judge anyone who used it, because it’s clearly not meant as a nasty term but here’s why it rubs me up the wrong way.


Terrible Twos
Terrible Twos

The Terrible Twos

If you think of what must be going on in a toddlers brain day to day, I can only imagine how frustrating and overwhelming it must be for them sometimes. We’re lucky that Grayson is so vocal, and most of the time he can tell us when and if something is wrong – but not all toddlers are like that. Imagine being tired, hungry, scared or frustrated or a number of other emotions and not be able to communicate that or express how you feel. Don’t get me wrong, Grayson is very good at saying “I’m hungry” or “I’m sleepy” but he still has meltdowns when clearly it’s all just gotten too much for him.

I’ll admit, we get frustrated with him sometimes when he acts up or throws a wobble and I will just say to him dude come on, just tell us what’s wrong. Then I take a step back and remember that I quite frequently have days where I’m just fed up, or feel sad and so why should we expect children to be any different? I know a lot of people may grumble at this, but the sooner we tell them it’s okay to let out how they are feeling, rather than punishing them for it, then hopefully mental health issues are less likely to arise.

They’re going to push boundaries and try their luck, but we’ve all done it and I know a lot of adults that still do it now. Obviously kids are hard work, no one is disputing that – I personally just prefer to stay away from the word “terrible” when describing my little boy.

As I said at the start of this post, this is in no way a dig at anyone who uses the term. It’s just something that I’ve found bothers me, and I’d rather just say Grayson is being a bit of a douche at the time! You can read more of our parenting posts here.


What’s your opinion on the term “Terrible twos”?

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