Parents often live in fear of the so-called terrible twos. As the toddler approaches his or her second birthday, he or she will be finding new ways to test parents through tantrums and other acts of defiance.
By the age of 23 months, the child has developed enough language skills to be able to form three-word sentences. Most 23-month-olds have also developed enough motor skills to draw circles and other lines on a piece of paper using a crayon or pencil. Parents should encourage these skills and reward their child's efforts.
While separation anxiety can continue to be a problem at this age, many 22-month-olds become fickle about their parents' attention, leading to anxiety one minute and disinterest the next. For example, some children will be happy to stay with the baby-sitter one day but completely devastated to be left with the same sitter on the next night. Likewise, the toddler might show affection towards his or her parents in the morning but seem more interested in playing with toys in the afternoon. These fluctuations are a normal part of development and do not reflect personal feelings toward the parents or toward anyone else for that matter.
The age of 23 months is an important time to begin letting the toddler make choices. These can be simple choices such as what to wear or which sandwich to eat. It is important that parents provide their toddler with choices in order to give him or her a sense of control over the situation. Simply put, it is important for parents to remember that the toddler is a little person too.
The age of 23 months is an exciting yet challenging time for parents as their toddler approaches the two-year mark.
Along with being a proud father, Joseph enjoys writing and gardening. One of his favorite web sites is Garden Harvest Supply which offers easy wave petunias and hardy mums.
