My Baby is Having a Temper Tantrum-and Everyone's Looking at ME

I really think the terrible twos is a misnomer-OK, everyone is saying that it gets worse once they turn two. But us parents to under-two-year-olds don't get any credit. They still have temper tantrums, the only difference: They don't weigh 40+ pounds and you can semi-control them. But it is much more frustrating for both baby and parent, because, well, there are times when I can't figure out what's wrong. And even more frustrating yet, sometimes there isn't anything wrong.

Of course, every parent gloats about how their baby should be the winner of the next Pulitzer, (by the way, read about Joseph Pulitzer and you wonder why they chose his name). That's kind of like celebrating Christopher Columbus, but whatever. Back to the point. My son is smart. And smart in the way that I was smart. I knew how to get what I wanted. And my Mom always, always, ALWAYS told me that all the things I did to her would come back to me someday. Seriously, my son is not even 2 years old and he goes from 0-60 in .00000023434 seconds if he doesn't get what he wants. He even exaggerates it when he's in public!

Going to the grocery store used to be our favorite trip. He would just sit there in his infant seat and ooh and ahh at all the lights and people. Now, he refuses to sit in the cart. He wants to walk. And the moment you give in, forget it. He wants nothing else than to run around the store, running into people and ripping things off the shelf. If no one else was in the store, it would be adorable. But people seem so annoyed by babies! He's seriously the cutest thing in the world, how could you possibly be annoyed by this?

So, I pick him up, screaming, squirming, kicking, did I mention screaming? And everyone is looking at me like they are about to pick up the phone and call Child Services. And nothing, NOTHING, not even a donut hole, will make him happy.

My advice for this? If you are lucky enough, like I am, to have a significant other who goes to the grocery store with you, make sure you have him/her with you. Take anyone really, so when the little one throws a fit, you can take him/her to the car. It's what I have to do, and when all else fails, it saves everyone some trouble.

I know I shouldn't feel proud that my son is needy. It is a good feeling knowing that you have taken such good care of your baby that if he doesn't get what he wants is 2.3 seconds, he throws a fit. But then again, I wonder how long this will last. I get that he's a baby, but everyone says it gets worse before it gets better. And while I enjoy spoiling my son, I fear that too much of this catering-to-his-every-whim will turn him into a monster by the time he's five.

Then I sit back and think, should I really worry about this? He's not even two, and he's healthy, happy and chubby. I've decided to let things happen more naturally, for now. If there's anything I've learned from being a parent, life goes on. No matter how much I read and how much I try to change things, things happen the way they do for a reason. That is seriously corny and I'll probably look back at this later and think of how lame I was. But for now, it's comforting.