When you want to sell your property, you need to feel proud of the effort that you put in to get it off the market. Part of this is going to be in making sure that your home has curb appeal - which means that you want people to fall in love with the property when they roll up to the door. It should look as good on the outside as it does on the inside, because this is what will sell your house. 

The outside look of the home really does matter, which is why you hire in services like Labor Panes DIY window cleaner and someone to do the landscaping in the front yard. Enhancing your curb appeal can be done with just a few minor adjustments, too, it doesn't all have to be huge changes to the exterior of the house. With those small changes, your home is going to rise in value and sell really well! So, how can you add curb appeal to your home?

Image Source: Pexels

1. Treat your lawn. We talked about the landscaper coming in and doing the lawns for you, and one of the things that you can ask them to do is treat them for you.treating the lawn is going to help you to get rid of weeds, help the grass to grow a beautiful bright green and give your lawn a little more health for the year ahead. It won’t look unruly and overgrown anymore, which is a huge plus!

2. Let there be light. The front of your home should look warm and inviting and a great way to do that is with lighting. Whether you add fairy lights to the bushes or new wall lights to the porch, make sure that they are a warm white color rather than a harsh white: keep that for the security lights instead. Good lighting along a path to the front door will also convince people that your home is beautiful!

3. Brighten up with flowers. If you want to add color to the front of the house, go with flowers. Not only are they pretty to look at, you could even color coordinate the front yard with the season or the rest of the house. You get to choose the colors, of course, but you can bet that they will have an impact. Don't just go for flower beds, either. Choose window boxes packed with flowers and you’ll have a front yard that’s bright and breezy.

4. Add a little paint. To the fences and the front door, add wood paint. You could choose to match these, or you can contrast. A dark blue front door would look lovely with a white fence. Similarly, a black front door will work really well with a light colored fence, too. A lick of paint refreshes the whole aesthetic of the outside of the house, and it can make a huge difference to the way it all looks.

All of these simple options can change the way your house looks and add curb appeal in an instant.

 If you want to become a better cook at home, then this is the guide for you. Here you can find out everything you need to know about cooking, how to get more out of your food and also how to reduce stress in the kitchen.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Salt should Be Your Friend

Seasoning your food well is one of the tips that most chefs will give you. Most home cooks either don’t season their food at all or they simply dump some salt in right at the end of the cooking process. This is the last thing that you want to do if you want your food to taste great. If possible, you need to make sure that you are salting throughout every stage as this will bring out the flavor. It will also help you to extract the most out of your ingredients. If you season as you go, it will help you to really ensure that everything is getting the maximum benefit from the salt. Don’t forget to add salt when you are cooking pasta either. Ideally, you want the water to taste like the ocean. If you do this, then you will ensure that your pasta is seasoned perfectly.

Stay Sharp

There are three knives that will give you the chance to prepare anything in the kitchen. This would include a paring knife, a chefs knife and finally, a carving knife. A chef’s knife is what you will be using most of the time. It is all-purpose and it is ideal for slicing, mincing, chopping and dicing. The paring knife is good for any intricate work if you are working with smaller foods. Of course, the carving knife is good if you want to slice prepared meats or if you want to cut up bread. Either way, it doesn’t matter what knife you use, it is important that you try and keep them sharp. Many home cooks think that they will cut themselves if they sharpen their knives too much, but this is not true at all. You can actually make your knives safer if you sharpen them, so keep this in mind. Don’t want to work with knives? Then try this best snickerdoodle recipe.

Stop Using Recipes

Cookbooks, blogs, internet food sites and even magazines are great. You can even use them to your advantage if you are brand-new to cooking. That being said, you need to get out of the recipe straitjacket. You have to make sure that you are using a lot of different ways to approach your cooking, and you also need to make sure that you are tweaking recipes to your liking. No recipe is perfect for everyone in the kitchen. Many factors can influence the outcome of the kitchen, including the best recipes. You may find that you can easily get lost in things like this if you are not careful, so it is important that you trust your instincts and that you treat the recipe as a guideline. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you are able to get the best result out of your cooking.

 One of the best pleasures in life as a parent is reading to your children. Most parents sit with their kids at least once a day to talk to them and laugh with them, but it’s the time you spend with them reading that will make them feel like they are connecting with you. Bedtime stories are going to give you a chance to spend time with your children, and it’s good for their development, too. 

Children will be better prepared for school, they’ll learn faster, and they will do better in their studies in the long run when they are read to each night. Whether you are reading books to prevent learning loss or you are reading books for fun, you should make the time to read at least a few pages of books per night with your children. Below, we’ve put together five reasons that you should consider reading to your children every night.

Image Source: Pexels

1. It’s calming. You want to get your children ready to sleep and a good way to calm them down is with a story. It’s not a screen, which can wind them up before bedtime, and it’s a good way to help their body to relax as much as possible. Focusing on activities that promote restfulness is important and it slows down the mind while relaxing the body at the same time. 

2. Getting ready. When your child is watching a book as you read it, they are getting ready to read. They’re hearing the sounds and they are connecting those sounds to the letters in front of them in the story. They see what the letters look like and they see that pages are read top to bottom, left to right. These are basics to us, but monumental skills for your child.

3. Building imagination. When your kids watch TV, they can see the scene play out in front of them. When you read to them, they think about it. They form the picture in their minds and they can take it all in, engaging in the feel of the words and the sounds that they create. It’s a big deal that your child could do this, and they end up wanting to hear more and learn more because their imagination is going to bring up everything that they need for the story to come to life.

4. They’ll learn about the world. Children are able to learn moral lessons from stories that they read. They’ll learn who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, too. They’ll even learn where they can go to learn more about their ambitions and joy.

5. You will build a stronger bond. Bedtime reading can be the last thing that you do with your kids before they fall asleep in the night time. It’s a nice way to snuggle down and bond with them, making them feel safe, warm and ready to listen to what you have to say. They relax to your voice, to your smell and your touch next to them.

 When working out, sore muscles are inevitable. However, they don't have to be a hindrance to your workout routine. There are some simple steps you can take to make sure that your muscle is better-taken care of and ready for the next workout session! 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

1) Take an anti-inflammatory medication before activity 

This will help to ease the pain and reduce swelling of your sore muscle during activity! However, if you take it before a workout for its anti-inflammatory properties, then make sure that you do not go into strenuous exercise because this could lead to stomach issues. Try taking an over-the-counter medication at least 30 minutes before working out, so there is enough time for it to kick in! It is important that you have eaten within two hours prior as well, so be sure to eat something small beforehand. In addition, don't drink fluids with meals or one hour after eating for best results when using medications such as Advil/ibuprofen, which can cause damage to the stomach lining over time with chronic use.

2) Stretch after warming up 

Warming up is a crucial step to take before stretching since it prepares your muscles for activity by increasing their temperature and making them more pliable! However, once you have finished with your warm-up session, then you need to stretch out those muscles that just got hot. Stretching after warming up will help loosen tight areas, which can lead to less strain on already sore muscle fibers! Make sure, though, that you are not overstretching an area as this could cause further damage or injury, so hold each stretch gently until you feel some relief without causing additional discomfort. Additionally, if available, use ice packs/heat pads/CBD Muscle Balm along with stretches during recovery sessions.

3) Incorporate active rest into your training sessions 

If you are someone who likes to keep active even on days when you're not working out, then consider incorporating active rest into your training sessions. Active rest is simply doing low-intensity exercises that still challenge your body but don't put the same amount of stress on sore muscles. This can be a great way to get moving without feeling like you're overdoing it and will help speed up the recovery process! Ideas for active rest exercises include light cardio such as walking or biking, yoga or Pilates, and using light weights with high repetitions.

4) Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day  

This is especially important when you are working out and sweating a lot! When your body loses fluids, it can lead to dehydration which will only make your sore muscles feel worse. Aim to drink around half of your body weight in ounces each day (for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, then aim to drink 75 ounces of fluids) and spread it out evenly throughout the day. This means that you don't want to just chug down a ton of water right before bedtime, as this could actually cause further problems like insomnia or frequent trips to the bathroom! 

One of the most important things to consider when dealing with pain is managing your medications. To make this easier, fill prescription online and have it delivered right to your door. This eliminates trips to the pharmacy, which can be difficult for those with mobility issues or limited transportation options. Additionally, taking advantage of online refill services allows you to keep track of when your prescriptions need refilling, ensuring that you never go without any necessary medications. By staying on top of your medication needs and ordering ahead of time, you can ensure that your health remains a priority as you get older

In conclusion,  there are a few easy steps you can take to help soothe and recover from your sore muscle. 

 Holiday Beauty Tips To Keep You Glowing Throughout The Season

Image Credit

As the saying goes, it is the most beautiful time of the year. And after spending the majority of the year stressed out from work, this festive season should give you a brief period of rest, help you recover, look your best, and prepare your body for the new year. Unfortunately, Christmas appears to bring on even more stress than it used to, with some grinding through work. In contrast, others remain busy putting holiday shoppings and decor and various festive events together. 

Then there's the tiredness from endless partying, the stress of long-distance driving to meet family and friends, and the never-ending church activities. But even with the heavily-packed Christmas schedule, you'll still want to look and feel your best through it all. Thankfully, glowing and looking festive shouldn't be too difficult with the following tips. 

Never, ever sleep in your makeup

It can get pretty rough sometimes. You might return home from a party tired and have only one desire - to get into bed and nothing else. While you may not feel like cleaning up (which you should), the last thing you want to do is go to bed with your makeup still on. 

What's the big deal? Sleeping with your makeup on can lead to premature aging. Makeup prevents the skin from getting its renewal and damages the skin. Plus, because light cannot reflect on your skin, the latter becomes dull, rough, and old, increasing fine lines and wrinkles on your facial skin. 

The solution? Always carry a packet of moisturizing makeup wipes by your bedside table (along with your hangover medications). This way, you'll be able to do a quick facial clean before you sleep.

Drink loads of water

With your refrigerator stocked up with various festive drinks, champagne, wine, energy drinks, juices, name them, it is easy to forget that a healthier option called water even exists. There's nothing wrong with enjoying your drinks, but alcohol especially requires a lot of water to clean out your kidneys. Also, overindulging in these drinks will do your body more harm than good. 

You've probably heard it a million times over already, but drinking loads of water will help 'flush' your kidneys and also support healthy skin. But that's not all; if you can't control your alcohol intake during the holidays, water might be the help you need. Even moderate alcohol levels can cause quick dehydration, and drinking a lot of water can slow down the dehydration effect. 

Choose less demanding activities

The parties and endless activities can tire you out and make you look worse instead of resting your body. Plus, 2021 isn't exactly the kind of year that encourages partying, especially with the coronavirus keeping people at home. If you still have to work during the festive season, your body will need all the rest it can get.

So, you might want to engage in less physically-demanding activities instead. Treat yourself to a relaxing spa day, shop for your dresses online instead of jumping from one physical store to another chasing seasonal shopping deals. This way, your body will be able to rest more, and you'll be in a better state to recover quickly before the next year begins. 

Exfoliate

The winter weather can easily make your skin look dull and dry with the chill air outside and warm indoor air. So, while you do your best to stay hydrated, try to exfoliate often. Dead skin cells will pile up faster if your skin dehydrates, and exfoliating will get rid of those dead cells and restore your skin's radiance.

Eat well

You probably already know about eating healthy and its benefits to your body. You may even have a fitness regime you're already used to throughout the year. But when your schedule is hectic, it is easy to throw your healthy eating plan on ice for a while, and you're already noticing extra pounds showing up on your sides. 

While it may seem difficult to cook healthy when you're juggling work with Christmas activities, you need to remember that too much junk food will deplete your energy levels when you most need them at a high. Instead of grabbing that energy drink or bag of potato chips, try preparing your meals in advance and storing them in your refrigerator. This way, you can grab them and warm them in no time. Healthy food will ensure that your body and skin get all the essential vitamins and minerals they need to keep you glowing and looking radiant. 

Image Credit

Many people in the modern world lead a fast-paced and busy lifestyle, meaning they may not have time to think about how their actions at home affect the environment. However, there are many ways to make your house eco-friendly, such as investing in energy-efficient light bulbs for when you need light during the night or installing solar panels on your roof.

If this is something you need help with, here are a few steps to help you live more green and sustainable at home.

Invest in a Smart Meter

A smart meter refers to a new type of electricity meter that records data about your home's energy use in real-time. This information can then be accessed by you and your energy provider so that you can see where you could save money on your energy bills. Smart meters are becoming increasingly popular, so it might be a good idea to invest in one for your home to make it more eco-friendly. Go to site for more information about your home.

Invest in Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Energy-efficient light bulbs are a great way to make your home more eco-friendly. They use less energy than traditional light bulbs, and they last longer. So not only will you be helping the environment, but you'll also be saving money on your electricity bill!

Insulate Your Home Properly

Insulating your home is an inexpensive way to make it more energy-efficient. It will also help keep your house warmer in the winter and more relaxed in the summer, which can save you money on heating or cooling bills.

Insulating your home is an easy DIY project that doesn't require much time or effort, so there's no reason not to do it!

• Place insulation between studs before building a wall using fire retardant material like mineral wool

• Attic spaces should have at least R50 of insulation covering all exposed areas

• Outside walls can be insulated with cellulose, rock wool, perlite/vermiculite mix, or foam boards

• When insulating floors, use mineral wool for the ground floor and a mix of glass fiber batts and cellulose for upper levels

Install Underfloor Heating

Underfloor heating is a great way to make your home more eco-friendly as it is a very efficient form of heating. It heats your entire floor, rather than just the air in your home, so you will not need to heat as much space. This can save you a lot of energy and money in the long run.

You can install underfloor heating by yourself or hire a qualified professional.

If you want to install underfloor heating yourself, ensure that the floor is level and clean before laying your electric cables on top of it. Then lay down an insulating layer on top of these cables. After this, add some styrofoam boards and some adhesive to bind them together, then cover everything up with plywood sheets that should be screwed into place using screws around every 20 centimeters apart from each other.

Finally, add another insulation layer by adding more styrofoam boards onto the plywood sheeting, so they overlap slightly and use yet again another adhesive agent in between them if necessary.

Conclusion

Creating an eco-friendly home is a great way to do your part in saving the environment and reducing pollution. It is also a positive step for creating a home that has less impact on you, your family, and those around you. This might mean choosing efficient appliances or purchasing eco-friendly materials, but there are many more ways to make sustainable changes to your home life.

Image Credit

Having what you need at hand during emergencies is very critical. Emergencies can occur in the form of sudden sickness of a family member, fire or natural disasters, and many more. Therefore, you need to have an immediate plan to ease the situation before help arrives when these things happen.

Here are steps to get you to ensure your family's safety.

Have Over the Counter Drugs

It is never easy to tell when a family member may fall sick or get injured by an object while at home. You have to ensure that you can provide immediate help if anyone requires emergency care. You can buy drugs that do not require a prescription and are easy to use, such as cbd. These drugs will ease pain and help you recover in case of injuries at home. However, despite having the medications at home, it is essential to have a professional check-up should anyone become ill at home. They will ensure that you get the best services and make sure you know what you are dealing with.

Design a Family Communication Plan

During emergencies such as fire and natural disasters, there is always a lot of commotion as everyone scampers for their safety. However, you do not want your family remaining oblivious of what to do should they experience such a kind of thing. Therefore, give everyone their roles on what they should do in emergencies. This will ensure limited collisions as everyone knows what they do and how to exit the building safely.

Have Emergency Supply Kit

You may not know how long you will have to survive before help can arrive in cases such as storms or any other disaster. As a result, besides the first aid kit, there are other essentials you need to have. Have enough food stored in your house, and do not forget to have enough water for drinking purposes. In addition, you want to ensure that you stock enough clothing for your entire family. 

However, also remember enough supplies in your first aid kit. This will ensure you address injuries quickly, which will save you money at the end of the day.

Get Home Insurance

Comprehensive home insurance will save you from expensive repairs if anything happens to your home. The insurance company will assess the damages, conduct their investigation into the incident, and compensate for it. They will also provide you with the necessary advice to help you deal with future incidences that may not be related to your home.

Therefore, start early to obtain your home insurance cover. It will save you money regarding the actual cost of sustaining your home and necessary repairs.

Conclusion

It is common to get stuck while planning to have your family live a comfortable life. You may not know where to start or which steps to follow should you find yourself in emergencies.

Following the steps outlined in this article will help keep your family safe. However, you can implement one step until you have done everything and your condition is perfect.

 Pexels - CC0 License

It’s unlikely to surprise you that when pregnancy occurs, life changes. That may be the most obvious statement you read today. Yet the depth and complexity of how life changes, outside of the clear implication of expecting a newborn, can be hard to understand for those who haven’t gone through this process. Even women lucky enough to bring multiple children in the world will likely have a slightly different experience every time, as while pregnancy does have essential and necessary beats, it isn’t a perfect formula, and it’s certainly not akin to a streamlined manufacturing process, to put it bluntly.

It’s totally understandable how many women, especially first-time mothers, can find this process overwhelming and nerve-wracking and incredibly unpredictable. In this post, however, we hope to discuss a few considerations to expect so that you realize you are never alone, and that what you may be experiencing isn’t totally unique or unnatural. Through this, we hope to provide some calming benefit to mothers.

The Orbit & Focus Of Your Life Changes

It’s important to note that pregnancy and ultimately childbirth will consume your thoughts and planning for the near future. This isn’t to say you need to think about it at every hour of the day, but it’s hard not to notice your stomach growing and your body changing, as well as keeping up with the health and development of your child. One thing you’ll notice, however, is that your priorities begin to change and you start to think of life anew.

It can be the most humbling and amazing feeling in the world to realize that you are no longer the most important person in your life anymore. That might sound like an odd sentence, but parents often have that feeling of being totally enthralled by their new child and the responsibility they now share. It takes around the whole term of pregnancy to come to terms with that, and can still feel raw when the baby is here. So - while your body is changing, be sure to also understand that the entire anchor point of your emotional life is sure to develop, too. Knowing that can help you feel more prepared.

Self-Care Is Even More Essential

We tend to think that looking after our child is the most important thing in the world, and it is. But we cannot look after them without looking after ourselves, too.

It’s estimated that up to 50-75% of new mothers will experience feelings known as ‘the baby blues’ after delivering their child. This requires understanding, nourishment, and communication to get through. However, it’s also calculated that up to 15% of women that have just given birth experience post-partum depression to a more severe degree. This is why it’s absolutely crucial to stay in constant touch with your midwife, to open up about your emotional health, and to ask for help if you need it. It’s there for you if you reach out.

Your Body Will Do Odd Things

Turns out, growing and developing a brand new human being, a human that, if lucky, will grow into a full adult and perhaps live into their seventies or eighties, requires an awful lot of demand on your body right now. It’s hard to think of that as anything other than a miracle, but of course, any miracle that takes place within your body is sure to have its effects.

You may notice, for instance, that your body does odd things at this time. Morning sickness and cravings are perhaps the most commonly understood, but that’s hardly an exhaustive list. For instance, thanks to the increase in blood flow and hormones you’ll notice that mucous membranes will swell, meaning that you feel ‘stuffed’ without the ability to blow your nose to get rid of such a feeling. 

Some women notice zebra stripes, blotchy skin, and a range of spots, encouraged by hormone changes. In some cases, our feet can even grow due to the hormones that allow your joints to relax in preparation for delivery. In some cases, women can lose their feet arches and grow a shoe size. Every body is different of course, so it’s best to express any changes you notice and find help or appropriate care for it where possible.

You’ll Find Yourself ‘Nesting’ Thoroughly

It’s almost as if there’s an inbuilt drive to make your surroundings as appropriate and nourishing as possible for when you welcome your child into the world. Women who aren’t usually the homemakers will also report this feeling. This is called ‘nesting,’ where those expecting a child will make sure that the space is perfect for their children, making sure that every safety issue is resolved, that the items are properly organized, and that everything you need is exactly where you want it.

You can view these nesting during pregnancy answers to see some more insight into this topic, as well as tips for curating your home in the best way. This is a totally natural urge of course, and nothing to worry about unless it becomes obsessive.

You’ll See Who Your Real Friends Are

Bringing a new child into the world is a big deal, and certainly an experience that shows you what is most important in life. For this reason, it’s important to recognize that the friends in your life may or may not be as supportive as you expected them to be.

In fact, you’ll find out who your real friends are at this time, and find that while you may not have as many friends due to your incredible new change in life direction, the relationships you retain will deepen. There are some who will go over and above to care for you, and others that might not. Keeping that in mind can help you avoid feeling worried at a time when you should be focusing on yourself.

With this advice, we hope you can move into pregnancy with as much confidence and peace as you deserve. We also wish you the best of luck and health during this process, and for your baby (or babies), too.

 The life of a two-year-old is full of excitement and joy. They are starting to learn how the world works and what they can do in it, all while still being so innocent and sweet. It's an amazing time for parents because you get to watch your children grow up and see them start to develop their personalities. To help you understand more about this wonderful age, here are some things that typically happen during the first two years.

Photo by Leo Rivas on Unsplash

Learn How To Communicate 

Two-year-olds are learning how to talk and communicate with others. They will start to string together words into sentences, and by the end of this age, they should be able to have a basic conversation. This is also a fun age as language skills explode with new words learned on a daily basis.

Independent And Dependent 

Two-year-olds are becoming more independent. This means that they want to do things for themselves and don't always want help from mom or dad. It can be frustrating for parents when their child is constantly testing boundaries, but it's all part of the process. This can be a great time for parents as they watch their child grow and learn. From the perspective of parents, they are an interesting combination of independence and dependence. They can get into just about anything that does not have a safety latch on it but cannot cross streets alone or walk upstairs without help from mom or dad.

Learning Wrong And Right 

Two-year-olds are starting to learn about right and wrong. They might not understand everything yet, but they know that there are some things that aren't allowed and some things that are encouraged. As parents, it's important to set good examples for your child.

Learn Through Play

Two-year-olds are also starting to learn how the world works through play and exploration. They might try touching a hot pan on the stove or putting something they aren't supposed to in their mouths, for example. It's crucial as parents that you teach them about safety rules and boundaries so that they can grow up safely. The best is by learning activities for two-year-olds that will keep them engaged, curious and develop their motor skills. Toddlers at this stage are continuing to learn new things every day so make sure reading material and educational toys are available to them.

Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash

Develop Social Skills 

Two-year-olds love to play with others their age because it allows them to develop social skills such as sharing toys and communicating with peers. If you're looking for ways of introducing your child into group settings at this young age, then joining a community center is always an option since there will be other kids around too. This gives children some great ways to make friends early on in life.

Supervised Curiosity 

A two-year-old is typically very curious and loves to explore. They are also extremely active, often coming up with new things for them to do all the time. Two-year-olds need close supervision because they enjoy climbing on anything that will hold their weight. It is important not to underestimate how much of an impact this age can have in a home or other setting where children are around the same age group. A child care center would be especially aware of these needs when dealing with toddlers who may climb onto countertops, dressers, tables, etc. Which could lead to injuries if precautions aren't taken beforehand, including putting away breakable items like glassware and fragile decorations while kids are napping or occupied elsewhere in the house/facility.

Developing Their Personality

Two-year-olds are also beginning to develop their own personalities and preferences. It's important to continue fostering a positive relationship with your toddler during this time. Making sure they know that you're always there for them will help them feel secure and loved. As they get older, this foundation of trust will only continue to strengthen.

Healthy Nature Exploring 

A two-year-old is a very busy toddler! They are usually very excited about life, learning new things, and seeing what they can get away with. During this time of their lives, it is important to grow up healthy in general so that you have the best chance at being happy as an adult. Two-year-olds love playing outside in most places but will stay inside when the weather isn't good enough for them to be out there all day long. At least once or twice a week, playtime should involve getting some fresh air, even if just for walks around the block along with snacks. 

Photo by Taylor Kopel on Unsplash

Munchies 

Two-year-olds are always thinking about food because growth spurts happen during these years, which means they need lots of nutrients from various sources like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat proteins, and dairy. 

Affirm Love Always

Although they may not be able to verbalize it yet, make sure that your child knows how much you love them by giving lots of hugs and kisses every day. Make sure that your toddler knows what you expect from them behaviorally and continue setting limits while praising them when they follow instructions correctly.

Busy Bodies Needs Lots Of Rest

Even though two-year-olds are constantly on the go, they still need plenty of rest, so always try to put them down for a nap or bedtime story routine each night.

Photo by Blake Meyer on Unsplash

Potty Training In Progress

Two-year-olds are typically potty trained though this timeline varies greatly from child to child, and some parents opt to wait until closer to three years old. 

Empathy Development 

Around this time, toddlers also start learning how they fit into the greater world around them and develop empathy for others. They begin to understand that other people may have different thoughts or feelings from their own and can be swayed by gentle reasoning.

Terrible Two-Phase

A child going through the terrible two phase may seem like a living nightmare. At the same time, it's easy to see why this developmental phase is actually very beneficial for kids and helps them develop important life skills. Parents can learn more about what to expect from this stage that typically begins around 18-months old and lasts until age three. One of the biggest things that are different about a two-year-old is their emotions. They have not yet developed emotional control, so they will often throw tantrums when something does not go right for them. However, while some may see this as negative behavior, it can actually be seen in a positive light because children at this age are highly hopeful and innately optimistic thinkers. The terrible two-phase is one of the most misunderstood phases in all of psychology. It's also an interesting topic that has been studied for over 50 years. By understanding why your child behaves like this, it makes parenting much easier since there are steps you can take to help them. As your child starts to develop a sense of independence, they will also begin testing their boundaries. This is a normal part of the development and should be expected during the terrible two-phase. However, it's important that you set limits for them and enforce them consistently while still providing positive reinforcement when they do behave well.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

In short, two-year-olds are busy little humans working hard towards becoming independent members of society. There's always something new to learn and plenty of exploration (and mischief) still ahead. Milestones reached during these years set the foundation for future skills and life lessons to be learned. So as you can see, the life of a two-year-old is full of learning and growing. It's an exciting time for both parents and children, so make sure to enjoy it!