Terrible Two's - Santa Rosa,CA

I do think three is more difficult. but most of the time we forget that they ARE just acting their age and WE are having unrealistic expectations. they get cranky if it's close to bed or nap time, they get cranky if they are hungry or thirsty, they have an attention span of minutes and we expect them to hold it together for a long shopping trip, etc etc. My SIL used to sigh and say "My life WOULD be easy...if only my kids wouldn't act their age." Expect her to act like a two year old. and be prepared for her to act like a two year old. When my youngest was two we had two teenagers in the house so we would just LAUGH at people who talked about terrible twos!!! Nothing like the Terrible Teens!

I have 2 girls and with 2 they were bad but 3 was awful and then my oldest is now 4 almost 5. We are in the whine as much as possible stage. Sorry to tell you that once you hit the terrible 2s then you just move on to the next challenge. If you are not having problems with her and she stops at a look or counting to 3 you have a very mindful child and I can hope for you that she stays that way :)
Good luck.

Hate to rain on your parade, but even worse than the terrible twos is the "effin fours" (as one of my friends described it to me).

Wait til she gets to that stage where she wants to be independent yet wants you to do everything for her and swings back and forth between the two...fun stuff.

I agree with some of the other posters, two was a breeze compared with three!

hahaha, no. It gets much worse before it gets better. Sorry.

Four was way harder than two. Say 'why' out loud 3 thousand times - now imagine it said at toddler volume and occasionally with a whine. You have now made it to lunch time.

Three is worse than the twos.

some good behavioral shaping advice here though:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T060100.asp

I will be the lone voice to tell you that in my experience, my girls were at their VERY WORST at 2. I swear to you that I almost sold my youngest to the gypsies (and probably I'd have to have bribed the gypsies to take her! LOL Her own grandparents referred to her as "the demon spawn" and I am not even kidding!). There's no age before or since that dragged me to the edge of sanity like the Terrible Twos. In my opinion, you could be almost home-free. ;) (Now granted, my girls are almost 6 and almost 9, so I have not hit the teen years yet! Wheeee...)

I have a 3-year-old son. Three is worse than two! And sorry, but most of my mommy friends agree, too. They are smarter and know how to manipulate!

Sorry to say it, but for me while 2 wasn't all that easy, 3 has been a much bigger challenge! I think any age can be tough to manage in one way or another - and kids seem to be hitting puberty nowadays well before they are teens!

Yeah... sorry J.. We didn't get anything from our daughter until 4 1/2 and then it was both barrels. With my son it was terrible 3 and 4 until about 5 1/2. It depends on the kid, but 2.5 isn't the worst. Get some books on toddler behavior and get ready...

I do have to say though... Put in the work now and by 6 it's much better. At least that has been my experience! Can't wait for the teenage years!

Good luck

Kids all hit the "terrible twos" at various stages of life. We were taught in Early Childhood education classes that a 'norm' is that every even year is difficult and every odd year is easy. That, of course, does not always hold true, but you are going to just need to brace yourself and know that your child will have times of being more compliant and other times when she is more difficult. The factors controlling this are many. Sometimes you'll be able to recognize what the cause is. Other times you'll have no clue. Just be prepared for a bumpy, but delightful, ride!

The 2's are not the worse.
Ages 3 is worse, and 4 is not so easy either.
Nor any age after that.
THEN the Pre-Teen and Teen ages hit.

It is ongoing.

This is only the beginning!

The book series "Your 2 Year Old", "Your 3 Year Old," "Your 4 Year Old" and so forth, is good. It merely describes each age juncture and what it is like. Although written years ago, it is still very pertinent and helpful.
Amazon has these books.
Easy to read.

My daughter is 2 and I find that the older she gets, the more difficult it is because my daughter's vocabulary increases as does her independence and ability to form opinions. From everyone else whose children are older than mine, I hear it only gets worse, but if you draw the line now, it won't be as hard later on - even though you'll be facing tougher issues when she's a teenager. (Per my M., I am still causing her tremendous heartache at 35-years old, so I'm not sure it ever gets easy)!

My experience is that it depends on the kid. My son was hard at 1, better at 2, worse at 2.5 or 3. Now he is 5 and in a bossy phase. My daughter is 2 and a few months and it isn't bad so far. If you have a hard time there are some good books out there for handling toddlers.

I have a 14 year old daughter. As she got closer to the age of menstruating she got more difficult. She started getting moody in 4th grade! I loved when she was little and loved me unconditionally. Now I am just "annoying". Appreciate each stage as it comes because there is always something "interesting" waiting around the corner to challenge you.

If your daughter is "over all a good girl," why are you wondering if this stage is the worst? Just curious. She's two and her behavior is completely normal if she's naughty once in awhile. It will probably get worse before it gets better. I have a 4 year old daughter, and I find it much more challening now than when she was 2. I have my seatbelt fastened for a bumpy ride, because I know there are many more bumps ahead! :) Anyone who signs up for motherhood, knows that it isn't easy and every stage in your child's life will have its challenges, But the rewards of motherhood are so worth it, right? She will become her own little independent person, breaking free and testing her boundaries every step of the way. It's what they do....even the well tempered ones.
If a child never caused their parents any grief, that would be cause for worry. It's actually a developmental milestone, and each kid reaches it at a different stage.....pushing the limits, testing you, etc. Brace yourself, try to enjoy the present with her and not worry too much about what's ahead. Good luck!