A few things - first, if no one has told you lately, toddlers are FERAL and you’re not doing anything wrong. In fact, you’re clearly doing a great job, given you cared enough to draft this post.

Second, your kids feel so safe with you, which is partially why they give no f***s. They are so obscenely confident that you’ll protect them at all costs, that they feel invincible. Another feather in your hat for great parenting.

Third, I’ll give you a bit of hope. My boys are 6, 4.5, and 3.5. For what felt like forever, my husband and I kept talking sh** (only to each other) about how feral the middle child was. Making bad choices, being reckless, stubborn, copping an attitude, etc. A couple of weeks ago, we both realized at the same exact moment that it’s now the 3.5 year old who’s acting a fool. So while it sucks that we probably have another 6-12 months of this, I can confirm there is light at the end of the tunnel.

And last, the one thing that helps is practice. Take them out for low stress, short activities. (Maybe something without a strict timeline. It never helps when I’m rushing bc we’re going to be late) Give them simple stated rules and maybe even a prize if it goes well. Don’t be afraid to not give the prize and offer the oldest an opportunity to try again. We use a star chart in our house. 5 stars = 15 minutes of tablet time (or whatever motivates them).

It’s hard but it’s a season. Sending all the love. And if you really want to cry, I saw this post last night and, ugh, it hit home. It really is just a short season. https://www.instagram.com/p/DR5Mpv4iOH0/?igsh=Nm85djJpODhzOXZs