Watch Me Grow, I'm Two by Maureen O'Brien Ph.D., Sherill Tippins (2001, Hardcover, Illustrated)

Every Parent's Guide to the Lively & Challenging 24- to 36-Month-Old

This second groundbreaking volume in the acclaimed age-specific childcare series helps turn the "terrible twos" into a terrific, joyous experience for parents and their two-year-old children.

Your two-year-old is less dependent on your "teaching" and more in charge of his learning than ever before. While problem solving and mastery of skills will be his major agenda for this year, improving verbal, physical, and emotional skills make him seem more capable than he really is. There's a big difference between saying "I do it" and being able to do it!) In short, the need to establish his own identity by getting his way may prove more frustrating than adorable at times. Caregivers need to see his efforts as valuable experimentation -- not defiance -- and support this exciting growth.

Incorporating cutting-edge research about twenty-four- to thirty-six-month-old children, Dr. O'Brien highlights how the world looks and feels to them during this time of rapid development. With a delightful mix of the latest scientific findings and true-life stories, O'Brien demonstrates how to listen, observe, and relate to children in ways that enhance not only their growth but the entire family's as well.

This remarkable series differs from others because
• it includes the incomparable wisdom and experience of actual parents
• it translates the newest research on the development of a young child's brain
• it provides guidance for dealing with toddler willpower by exploring two-year-olds' unparalleled burst in language and complex emotional growth