The key to limited meltdowns is obnoxious over-explanation. I swear that this is the entire reason my kid is so well behaved. I am not a psychologist or a geneticist, but for myself, managed expectations are the reason for my emotional chill. I am convinced that also applies to little people.   Nearly all of my family is back in the Midwest. ...

Like every other mother out there, my kiddo amazes me constantly. It’s not even that she’s doing anything special (she’s just a toddler after all), but she looks at the world in this magical way with eyes that are new and fresh and inquisitive of everything around her.

All your kids want is your attention. So give it to them.

Don’t get me wrong, she will still hit the wall angrily and then say “hit” and “hurt,” but she will also take deep breaths when I reminder her to.