Nonsense. My kids had a very very basic understanding of right and wrong by a yr and by two they had a good enough understanding that a look or a couple words was usually enough. Could they write an essay on it, no but did they understand there was right and wrong - absolutely. To say kids don't know right from wrong until 3 or 4 is very much underestimating the intelligence and ability of young children. They aren't stupid just because they are young. |
|
My mom used to scream at me. Really really scream, all through my childhood. It was quite traumatizing and affected my relationship with her long-term. I vowed not to do that with my own kids.
I found 1-2-3 Magic really helpful when I started finding myself yelling at my toddler. It's as much for the parents as for controlling bad behavior in the kid. It gives you a tactic to manage misbehavior calmly, feeling like you have some semblance of control over the situation, and that you are in charge. In your case at the restaurant, I would have simply started counting when your DD was throwing food (or given her just one warning and then a time-out, in the restaurant). I have found that this works extremely well. My son is 28 months but we started right around age 2. |