I... Am... Frustrated!!

Frustration and an inability to communicate that frustration to those around you can be difficult to handle, especially when the frustrated party is a 17-month-old. My littlest has outbursts almost constantly when we are out in public, and after suffering from the looks of judgement and anger from absolute strangers, I have resigned myself to just staying home than going out in public (though of course that can't always be helped).

My littlest seems to get easily frustrated and she is not shy to express that frustration with screams and cries and physical flailing. I don't understand why people think a toddler who hasn't mastered the intricacies of speech or the ability to cope with their emotions/feelings and the overstimulating world around them should act like an adult: quietly, peacefully, and "perfectly" (though most adults I encounter don't act that way, either). Even my 6-year-old has only recently learned to appropriately confront her emotions and feelings, and my 3-year-old is at the point where he can experience his emotions and feelings, but the closest he comes to coping with them is by putting words to them instead of lashing out (which is only a fairly recent accomplishment, and even then is not consistent). So how can one fairly expect a 17-month-old to deal calmly to the ever changing world around them?

Kids are kids, and they will continue to learn about themselves and the world around them for years (even at 32 I feel like I am still learning a thing or two about myself and this world I live in). If people could just leave it at that, and drop their judgements and insolence, being a mother would be just a bit less stressful (as if there are not plenty of stresses we parents have already).