Why Toddlers Become Demonic

I think I've figured out why toddlers, once sweet, angelic little creatures become maniacal. Some people say that toddlers are testing limits, learning about who they are, interacting with the world, yada, yada. After a 10-minute nuclear-level meltdown in the kitchen today over my toddler's desire to hold his own cup of milk, it dawned on me: toddlers become this way so we parents are more willing to let go of them. These tantrums induce sentiments like: "Is this really my child, the one I rocked for hours in the middle of the night when he was an infant, who used to lovingly grasp my finger? This little red-faced creature with the veins popping out of his neck, this is the same kid?" If toddlers continued to be those adorable, needy, melt-your-heart infants, we might be too attached, thereby never able to let them go enough for them to go to school, develop their own friendships, and go out into the world.

Through these tantrums, we begin to see our children as separate from us, individuals with their own ideas, purpose, and challenges. We parents need this lesson early lest we continue the level of physical and emotional nurturing we did when our children were infants, either out of habit or our own need for closeness with our children. This would stunt their development. Of course toddlers need physical and emotional nurturing, but in different ways than what they needed as infants. Toddlers do not need to be rocked for an hour, as infants might, because they've learned to self-soothe. A quick hug or words of reassurance usually will suffice for a toddler.

It seems, then, that while tantrums serve a purpose for toddlers, they also play a critical role in encouraging parents' to have healthy boundaries with their children. Ultimately, this helps toddlers begin the process of becoming self-actualizing, confident individuals. Or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself the next time my toddler sees fit to have a complete and utter meltdown.