Life with my toddler is very challenging right now. She’s more stubborn than ever, and prone to freak out at seemingly inconsequential things. Just this afternoon, she had a good 20-minute crying and screaming tantrum, all because I threw her used kleenex in the trash.

I am not making that up.

I don’t know how to deal with her when she’s like that. My inclination is to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself, but beyond that, not to pay attention if I can help it. I don’t want to reward her ravings with attention, so I only engage in dialog with her if she’s speaking calmly. Well, in theory anyway.

I don’t know what else to do. Time-outs seem to make her scream and cry even more. Sometimes it seems like she just needs to get it out of her system. Better here at home than out in public somewhere, I suppose.

On the other hand, she’s more adorable than ever when she’s in a good mood. Like at night, when she finally starts to get sleepy, and I say good night to her on my 8th or 9th or 10th visit to the side of her crib after bedtime, and she says, “I lob you Monny. Nigh’ nigh’ Monny.”

At that point, she’s won the war.