My 2-year-old son went to daycare on Monday toting his shark costume for their Halloween parade. He came home in a Tigger outfit. Apparently, he wanted to be a horse instead of a shark and threw a major tantrum. (I have no idea why Tigger was an acceptable alternative to the desired horse.)

Later, my son burst into tears because he couldn't have waffles for dinner. Is he having more temper tantrums than usual because we have a new baby at home? Maybe. A few months ago, we blamed the behavior on moving. Before that it was due to sleep disturbances. Each time, we empathized yet stuck to the rules. Now, friends and family are telling us that we should expect him to regress since there is a baby around. We should just let it go.

That makes sense. But, I'm not letting it go. Sometimes I think our culture's tendency to coddle kids (participation trophies, etc.) is leading to whiny adults. It's similar to the employee who blames traffic for his repeated tardiness. There will always be traffic; leave earlier. Life will always throw bumps in your way; learn to adjust.

My kid is only two, so I didn't expect a dignified soliloquy on the state of his emotions that night. But, he definitely was sent to another room to finish his screaming, only allowed to return when he could use his words. No waffles either.

I'm feeling rather mean these days since my son spends a lot of time getting corrected. He also receives a lot of hugs and kisses to balance it out. I know this is a tough time for him, and hope he's learning the skills he'll need to survive future rough patches.

Or, if I’m screwing him up, there's still the option of therapy.