The thing about being the parent of a toddler is that there's clearly a lot going on in there, but also that so much of what's happening in your little guy is inaccessible. Big feelings, but not a lot of ways to deal with it. There is nothing more upset than a thwarted toddler, and they get thwarted so much.


My child is crying because I told her she couldn't go inside the dishwasher. From Bored Panda

Lieberman's model is a pretty traditional psychodynamic model*, where toddlers are torn between attachment to their parent as a secure base, and a new-found sense of independence in their growing physical abilities to walk, reach, push, and talk. But those abilities are also still profoundly limited by their dexterity, strength, and endurance.

It's hard for me to say what specifically I took out of this book, aside from a more generous way to see the world from knee height, and to give my little guy the space and support he needs to grow up.