Parenting: Are You Expecting Too Much From Your Toddler?

Twenty percent of parents expect kids to be able to control their emotions by the time they turn two; and forty-three percent expect the same of their kids by age three, according to a study of 1,615 U.S. parents conducted on behalf of Zero to Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, in Washington, DC.

In fact, it actually takes most children until they are three to five years of age to exercise that amount of self-control.

Having age-appropriate expectations of your kids makes parenting a whole lot easier. Instead of trying to fix a non-existent problem (your two-year-old isn't behaving like a five-year-old), you can focus on enjoying her at her current age and abilities. You also avoid stressing her out by expecting her to exhibit a degree of self-control she simply isn't capable of right now.

In this video: Ann Douglas, author, The Mother of All Toddler Books and The Mother of All Parenting Books

Category:

Education

Tags:

• parenting
• toddlers
• preschoolers
• behavior
• Ann Douglas