Toddlers are the world’s most interesting human species. They are also the most misunderstood.
Toddlers are notorious for throwing horrific tantrums, resisting all notions of self grooming and for having the unique ability to make a spotless house look like a hurricane district within a blink of an eye.
Toddler’s are loud and messy and aggressive.
They hit, bite, smack, slap, poke, prod, dump, throw, hurl, jump on, color on, pee on, rip, tear, smear, scream…
Need I go on?
I spent the better part of my child’s toddler years blaming myself for her behavior.
Clearly I had gone wrong somewhere I would think to myself, tossing and turning in bed late at night. It wasn’t possible that a tiny little human could be so angelic and monstrous all at once.
But it wasn’t just that.
There were things people said about my child that really stung. As a first time parent I was completely unprepared for the downpour of comments and judgements I would need to handle.
A particular episode really stuck with me.
My husband and I were attending a dinner party with our then two year old daughter (and were the only couple there who had a child). It so happens that my child had missed her afternoon nap for the day.
Now if you’re a toddler parent, you know for a FACT that a missed nap equals disaster.
So predictably, my two year old started acting out just as the other guests were arriving. She was sleep deprived and cranky and not at all in the mood to socialize.
A woman I didn’t know walked up to my child to try to shake her hand. My daughter instantly withdrew her hand and made some weird growling sound which I guess in toddler language means back off.
The woman glared at my child, then me and said in this loud voice for everyone to hear:
“Wow what an angry child you’ve got there!”
I kind of froze on the spot. Then I opened my mouth to apologize for my child’s behavior but the woman had already walked off in a huff.
I spent the rest of the evening hiding in a corner trying to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, vowing to myself I’d never attend large social gatherings ever again with my toddler.
Isolating from others and avoiding meet ups only served to make me feel more lonely in my motherhood dilemmas.
But it also started my quest for finding answers to all my toddler’s behaviors that had ever baffled me.
I scoured the internet for answers, spent hours researching, reading, making notes and participating in parenting group forums.
And here’s the astonishing truth I discovered (*drum beat*):
Everyone else’s kids were just as wacky as mine, IF NOT MORE.
1. That it was normal for my child to throw tantrums, spit out food and refuse to sleep.
2. That having meltdowns (because it was someone else’s birthday and they got to blow out the candles instead of her) and screaming and biting were all part of her learning and development.
3. That her happily playing one second and throwing herself on the floor in tears the next ( because she didn’t get to press the elevator button) did not mean she was bi polar.
4. That ripping and dumping and throwing and messing things was something she was SUPPOSED to do as a 2 year old kid.
Alas, I wasn’t a terrible mother after all.
This realization brought me a kind of peace that’s hard to describe in words.
I know I’m definitely not the only mom whose been through this. Mom guilt is real. It rips away at your soul, makes you hate yourself and in the process only ruins an otherwise healthy relationship you could’ve had with your child (and yourself).
But I’m rambling here. Introductions are in order.
Who am I? I’m a lifestyle copywriter by profession (which in simple terms means I write marketing content for businesses in the lifestyle niche), the owner of Sweet n Sour Toddlers and a mom to two feisty, strong willed and beautiful girls. While one is leaving the toddler years behind her, the other has just entered them.
Mom blogs are something that kept me sane throughout my motherhood ordeals. By reading about the struggles of other moms and finding out just how similar they were to mine, I found solace and strength.
This blog was started with the intent to do just that – inspire, encourage and motivate other mothers who are struggling and constantly doubting themselves.
Why did I choose to specifically focus on the toddler years?
With this blog, I really wanted to focus on toddler parenting. And that’s becuase I’ve realzied that those are the hardest years of parenting without a DOUBT (especially for first time parents).
You’re dealing with a tiny human that has a face of a baby and an attitute of a teenager. A little person that will happily dump their food on the floor, refuse to sleep, break everything in sight and have meltdowns over anything and everything. A little someone with no regard for safety, hygiene or social etiqutte (think: running on the road, licking handrails at the subway and picking their nose in public).
With a degree in social sciences, I’ve not only spent years researching but have also always been passionate about research. With this blog, I wanted to use my background in research and combine that with my personal experience as a toddler parent. And then use that to create a space that can discuss toddler parenting using science backed research AND personal experience of trying out various strategies to see what actually works.
The goal is to help other toddler parents with their everyday struggles of parenting a little one and helping them come up with tactics that are tried and tested by a fellow parent.
Why the name Sweet n Sour Toddlers?
If you have a toddler and have tasted sweet n sour chicken, you know why the name makes so much sense. Sweet n sour chicken is cooked using pineapples, sugar and vinegar to give it this distinct flavor of sweetness and sourness.
Toddlers are exactly the same.
One second they’re cuddled up in our laps, singing songs and acting adorable and lovable. The next second, they’ve transformed into raging banshees kicking and screaming on the floor.
So. Let’s navigate the choppy waters of toddlerhood together and come out of it sane, doing the victory dance.
Here’s just some of what you can expect to find in this blog:
1) Outrageously bizarre behavior your toddler engages in, how to handle it and how you can learn to breathe (and smile) through it all
2) How toddlers have no concept of self hygiene (read: they’re filthy all the time) and clever ways you can trick them (*cough* I mean teach them) to keep themselves clean
3) How you can teach your toddler to read (yes you read that right!). My little one was reading short stories by the age of 3 and now that she’s 5, reading has become her favorite thing in the whole wide world. In this blog I share some of my best tips on how you can ensure that you raise a child who loves reading and is an avid, fluent and confident reader.
4) Activities and crafts to keep your kids busy. With a toddler and a 5 year old in the house, the only way I can find any semblance of sanity in the day is to keep both my munchkins busy busy BUSY. My 5 year old loves arts and crafts and doing cute craft projects with her is probably my favorite part of the whole day. In particular, I really like doing recycled crafts with her so that we can just use materials we already have and not have to buy a ton of extra supplies. We’re quite obsessed with egg carton crafts simply because of how cute they turn out! (and of course because we ALWAYS have empty egg cartons lying around).
So before I sign off, here are 10 super random facts about me:
1) You can call me a tea addict. Like in the mornings I literally can’t function/hold a convo/do anything productive until I’ve had a cup of tea.
2) My happy place is the great outdoors. Nature. Anything to do with being in the midst of green spaces.
3) I have multiple journals and I write in them almost daily. There’s my:
- Everyday journal (where I write down general thoughts)
- Gratitute journal (every day reflecting and writing about what I’m grateful for that day)
- Blogging journal (writing about my journey as a blogger and basically documenting all the failures and successes I had along the way…I’d love to publish it on this blog one day so other aspiring bloggers can learn from my journey)
4) I love outdoor activities. I’ve spent most of my childhood on roller blades and on a bicycle. Some of my favorite outdoor activities so far have been: rock climbing, skiing, cave exploring, ice skating, cliff diving (coolest thing EVER!), camping and trekking in the most secluded, un-touched-by-man breathtakingly beautiful places, dolphin watching, jet skiing and mountain climbing at the 9th highest vertical peak in the world. Its worth mentioning that these are activities I enjoyed in my pre-mom life. My favorite post-mom outdoor activity is going to the park with my kids without anyone having a meltdown 🙂
5) I’ve been writing a diary since I was 7 years old. You know the kind which go ‘Dear Diary…’ and then you pour your heart out and feel light and unburdened. After my daughter was born, I started a diary for her. It’s basically where I write to her, telling her about her milestones, our family adventures and what’s happening in the world around her. I plan to give it to her one day when she’s all grown up and I’ll say ‘Tadaaa… Here are 18 years of your life all penned down!’.
6) Did I mention addiction to tea?
7) I have some weird fascination with taking old cardboard boxes and using wrapping paper and ribbons to make them into pretty looking storage boxes.
8) I’ve always been a bookworm. That’s changed a lot after becoming a mom since I barely get time now to shower. My daughter seems to be following in my footsteps… Whenever I see my 5 year old tucked into her little library with her nose in a book I get a flashback of my childhood.
9) I love egg carton crafts (maybe more so than my kids who I’m actually doing it for)
10) I’m an obsessive list maker. I make to-do lists, budgeting lists, weekly menu lists, daily goals lists, monthly goals lists, blogging related lists, fitness goals lists…my belief is that if you write things down, there is no way they won’t get done. So don’t keep it in your head, write it all down.
I think that’s a fairly accurate list of quirky little facts about myself.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you enjoy the content. Happy reading folks!
Fateema
New to the blog? Start off with these reader favorite posts:
10 Inspiring Ideas For Setting Up An Insanely Cute Toddler Reading Corner
9 Hilariously Easy Ways to Teach a Toddler to Brush Teeth Without Tantrums
12 Easy Toddler Activities to Keep your Toddler Out of Trouble | No Prep Indoor Activities
The Ultimate Guide to Toddler Proofing Your Home – Safety Hacks That Work
5 Insanely Creative Ways To Teach a Toddler to Clean Up | Cleaning With Kids