Elly, now in VA

Agreed. The key is consistency. You MUST be willing to follow through when you get to that 3. Good news is that the tantrums will shift dramatically when they start talking more. There will still be tantrums, but being able to understand the kid wants the egg and the toast separately or whatever made it much better in our house. So this too shall pass.

I am at “do I want another?” and while I don’t really want another “baby,” I do want another member of our family. I’ll be the first to admit, babies and toddlers can be kinda awful, but it is just a phase! Being a parent is a lifetime commitment that gets sillier and more complex and interesting with each phase. If you do decide to have a kid, be ready to roll with it – and find that joy even in the brutal littles years.