It’s just emotions

So, if you’ve read my blog before you’ll know I have a beautiful, amazing two (and a bit) year old called Sienna. Now, while Sienna is beautiful and amazing, like many other two year olds, she can have the odd tantrum.

Before having Sienna I had obviously heard of “the terrible twos” but to be honest I just thought this was a cute bit of alliteration used to describe it when your kid gets a bit upset…I was wrong.

If you’ve seen the 20 million daily photos and videos I take of Sienna or met her, you’ll know that 99.9% of the time, she is kind, funny, amazing and just all round gorgeous. However, there are those 0.1% of times, when I can’t describe her as anything but a demon.

Take for example last week. We were getting ready to go to London for a couple of days, so whilst I finished packing, Stu took Sienna for a quick pre getaway haircut. Whilst Stu was out, I’d also asked him to get some sticker books and comics to keep Sienna entertained on the train.

Unfortunately, Stu had picked a little too well, as when they got back, Sienna didn’t want to wait until the train to start playing with her Peppa Pig comic. Being the soft millennial parents we are, we didn’t make Sienna wait and gave her the comic straight away…this was a mistake.

As part of the comic there was a set of seven Peppa Pig toys which Sienna obviously wanted to take out straight away and carry all by herself. Sadly, as Sienna is a human and biologically only has two hands, she couldn’t carry them all at once. This made Sienna mad. So mad that she threw not only the toys but the comics in the air and lay down whilst she began to kick and scream.

At first I tried my calm parenting, trying to soothe Sienna and give her a cuddle. I then tried to explain that I understood why she was frustrated…this really didn’t go down well as the screaming got louder. So,I then resorted to putting the old favourite Cocomelon on the TV…when not even Netflix could calm her I knew it was bad.

Stressfully, we did also have a train to catch, so still screaming, I some how managed to squeeze Sienna into her car seat as Stu and I enjoyed a five minute scream filled journey to the station.

Lucky me then got the job of waiting with Sienna at the station whilst Stu went and dropped the car back at home. Thankfully, there must have been some sort of toddler god looking down on me, as the moment I got Sienna on the platform at the station she calmed down and stopped screaming. She was then so cute and good on the train, pointing at all the animals out the window, that the neighbouring passengers even commented on what a well behaved little girl she was.

Stu and I then also managed to forget demon Sienna as she kindly had a nice long nap whilst we ate our lunch and woke up to be the cutest little mermaid as we took her swimming in the hotel pool.

I do feel bad for Sienna, because in that moment, there was nothing more frustrating or stressful then the fact she couldn’t hold her Peppa toys by herself and because she’s only two she has no way of regulating her emotions.

I mean I’m nearly 36 and I still struggle! On that same trip I had my own melt down. Stu and I decided to go for a walk and we were deciding what to do for dinner. We could get room service, get something before Sienna’s bed or get our own food back for the room. Now, I dunno if it’s because I was tired or because I’m a Gemini and I can’t make a decision but this literally made my head explode. Luckily, I didn’t start screaming or throwing any Peppa pig toys anywhere but in that moment it genuinely all felt too much.

I think what made me feel more frustrated because I knew these weren’t serious things to get stressed about and I was being silly.

However, in the same way Sienna’s problems were serious to her at that moment, so were mine and by saying they are silly is possibly the worst way to resolve the stress.

Anyway, even though we are going through the terrible twos, we are also going through the TREMENDOUS twos, with Sienna now saying I love you on her own, going in for a kiss and cuddle by her own choice, making us laugh every day and like I said just being the most amazing person in our lives.