TODDLER
IF YOU'VE LOCKED YOURSELF IN A BATHROOM RECENTLY FOR SELF-CARE PURPOSES, YOU'RE NOT ALONE—AND ARE VERY LIKELY PARENTING A TODDLER.
Toddlerhood can be one of the scariest “hoods” a parent will ever go through. On average, once every 3 minutes a toddler has a conflict (some can feel way bigger than others). They deeply want to explore their world, yet they don’t quite have the skills to do so. They want autonomy and to do things by themselves that aren’t always safe. They need things from you, but don’t know how to communicate their needs. And… They have finally learned to assert themselves with the word “NO”!
THEY WANT TO RULE THE WORLD, BY THEMSELVES. (sort of).
When you enter their internal and emotional world, you recognize that it’s really a hard knock life for a toddler! But it’s definitely no walk in the park for you either. You might be wondering if you were even cut out for parenting at this point and may even have fantasized that your child came with some sort of manual (cue all the major self-doubt). This is normal and I am here to tell you that you are more qualified for the job than you are likely giving yourself credit for.
While parenting a toddler, your job is to help your child develop a sense of “autonomy” and the initial building blocks of emotional intelligence and frustration tolerance. When you introduce healthy limits, set clear boundaries, and give effective encouragement, your toddler can engage in healthy exploration of their environment and develop a healthy view of their world. The way you interact with your child will determine their ability to approach life with a sense of confidence and develop healthy relationships with themselves and others.
In our parenting sessions and workshops, we focus on helping you to see the world through your child’s eyes and give you practical strategies to help reduce the chaos and build skills that will benefit both you and your child!
