Learning to Tame My Little CaveBaby! 1/12/09

Reese is an absolute doll with a little temper. We've noticed that her little tantrums and hitting have become more frequent and we aren't sure why. We wanted to make sure that we weren't unintentionally routing the problem on, so, we picked up a book called "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" by Harvey Karp. It's the "how to eliminate tantrums and raise a patient, respectful, and cooperative one-to four-year-old" book. Just what we needed to get a little insight on what is going on in Reese's precious little head and how we could help our tantrum prone doll instead of unintentionally provoking it in some way.

So far, I've read 1/3 of the book and I laughed through the first chapter. This pediatrician and author describes these little ones as uncivilized, immature, little cavemen and this is why.
1) Toddlers forget to say "please" and "thank you" because, like cavemen, they're impatient and impulsive. They don't yet value the niceties of society. (I must say that Reese is becoming a pro with her little manners...)
2) Toddlers bravely defy us, like cavemen hunting elephants and buffalo, even though we're many times their power and size.
3) Toddlers, just like our ancient relatives, love face paint, sticking feathers in their hair, drawing on walls, and banging on drums.
4) Toddlers have trouble being reasonable and rational, even on a good day, because, like early humans their brains' language, logic, and patience control center is too immature.
Anyways, we'll keep you posted on the techniques in the book and how they work for Reese. So far, I've noticed that when we talk with short words and use lots of repetition and gestures, like the book says, we are able to get Reese's attention fairly quickly when she's upset. Otherwise, we talk to her like we normally do. I have a lot more to read.......
P.S. Jen, this is the book I found that addressed the under two age group. I think it's quite interesting so maybe we'll be able to share our books and collaborate ideas. :)

Our little Bam Bam!