""Here's my best advice," the pediatrician offered. "Firstly, you have to choose your battles. Otherwise, everything will be a battle. You have to let some things go, or else you'll be managing meltdowns 24/7." "That makes sense," I said as I tried to stop my daughter from opening all the cabinets. "Secondly, when you say 'no,' mean it. In order for her to learn the meaning of the word, you need to be consistent."
""I think 18 months is the hardest age," the doctor said. "They're mobile and opinionated, but they still don't have the language skills to express their needs, so they throw a lot of tantrums." I nodded — that made sense to me as a speech-language pathologist. Communication is our greatest tool when it comes to relationships, which is one of the reasons why I decided to become a speech therapist in the first place."
Eighteen-month-old children are highly mobile and opinionated while lacking language skills, which leads to frequent tantrums. Communication functions as a primary tool for building relationships and guiding behavior. Two practical strategies reduce conflict: selectively letting minor issues go to avoid constant meltdowns, and using a consistent, non-negotiable "no" so children learn boundaries. Parental inconsistency often stems from attempts to avoid immediate chaos, but steady limits teach children expectations. These approaches also transfer to broader relationship dynamics, such as navigating holiday visits and ignoring offhand remarks to preserve calm.
Read at HuffPost
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