My kid is a terror

18–24 Months

I love him so much but he's in his most evil era right now. It started with his daycare revealing a bunch of scenarios where he'd scream. A lot. I wasn't seeing it at home, but they were telling me he's developmentally delayed and implying he's autistic. I brought him to the doctor and she was surprised, said he's not delayed whatsoever.

I finally got a vacation with him and was so excited. Except so far he's gotten more and more miserable and harder to console. He can talk, he knows lots of words, but he just chooses not to use them. He wants to do things that aren't acceptable to do, like throw magnets at other completely innocent children. Or play with cords. Or throw things at people in general. So he's told no, and he's mad. I bring him to do fun stuff and he's mad. He's very cautious and takes time to accept things. But some things he's mad about are just things no one can help, like his wagon not pushing a way that's physically impossible.

When I write it out, I know it sounds normal. But my kids got a quick anger and a loud scream. So people around me question what's wrong with him or have no patience. So it's all on me to figure out and it's getting harder to figure out. Sometimes the only way to calm him is to put on some music or a show and I feel like a terrible parent using so much screen time to give my ears a break from his screams.

The ironic thing is I'm a daycare teacher. I work with ages 2-5. I've been in the field for 10 years. You would think I could handle this. I do it daily. But I feel like I'm failing more and more every day with how grumpy he is. I love him so much but we're not having much fun during our time off together and I literally cried tonight because I felt so defeated as he screamed. He's coming to my work soon and while my work is so professional and understanding, I fear what he's gonna do lol.

I guess I'm just hoping to hear some solidarity. In my heart I know he's just stubborn, strong willed and has a temper. Also terrible twos are coming fast. But other people make me feel horrible. I wish I had more friends that were parents and understood, instead of judging me.

Posted Aug 1, 2026, 3:43 AM UTC

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