Well, it was bound to happen. My perfect, little girl has turned into a tantruming two-year-old monster. Oh, okay—it’s not really all that bad. Maisie is still the most joyful kid in the world, except now and then—but those now and then moments are pretty awful.
Plus, there are the other things that two-year-olds do. You know, not listening, interrupting, freaking out over clothes, getting up from the table, refusing food—the list is longer than I care to admit. So there I was congratulating myself on being a great mother raising a super daughter and then—bam!—I hit the brick wall. It seems like it happened all of the sudden, too. Bad behavior just showed up out of left field.
Lucky for me, I know a woman named Diana Boggia. I interviewed her a while back and thought she seemed particularly wise. Diana’s background is in behavior management. If you have the most impossible kid in the world, then Diana is the gal for you. She specializes in treating kids nobody else can handle.
Of course now that I need it, I can’t seem to remember a lot of what Diana said in that interview way back when. Ironically, just as I was thinking about contacting her, she emailed to say she’s started a new website with all her advice. Wahoo! Check it out. She’s got advice on everything from dealing with toddler issues like potty training to sibling rivalry to brooding teenagers.
Sure, there are lots of others like her out there, but something about Diana’s advice struck a chord with me. I like her advice because it’s based on the concept of positive parenting. Instead of yelling at your kids and giving them attention for bad behavior, you reward them and pour on the praise for the good behavior.
Naturally, implementing her suggestions is far harder than reading them, but I’m willing to give it a try. It breaks my heart—and my eardrums—to see Maisie all strung out, crying on the floor after I told her she can’t have another glass of milk because the doctor says she drinks too much. Something tells me a little work now will make things a heck of a lot easier later.
