It’s the age of bratty behavior.

Those were the words my mom used to comfort me the other day.

All of my kids were having a day.

When the baby who has a tornado-like soul, to begin with, and is teething, is the best behaved, you know it’s a day.

With my four-year-old, you’d be convinced someone was squeezing her organs,

with the drama and carrying on for “chocolate kisses” and overall manipulation that went on.

She skidded her knee, being the impetus…

…yep.

It’s the age of bratty behavior.

And my two-year-old got stuck inside a tantrum for about an hour.

She was kicking,

screaming,

and completely out of control…

…she wouldn’t listen.

I couldn’t calm her down.

All because I wouldn’t give her a popsicle for dinner.

And they both resort to crying over everything.

“My kids are such brats. I feel like I’m failing them as a mother,” I finally said, head-in-hands.

“They’re in the age of bratty behavior. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Every mother of young kids feels like this.”

And, you know what?

She’s absolutely right.

Us moms are way too hard on ourselves.

We’re constantly thinking we’re failing our little humans because,

yes, they can be impossible.

But we have to remember this wisdom from a-mom-who’s-been-there:

This is the age of bratty behavior.

My two-year-old couldn’t cope with her emotions and properly express what she needed until she found comfort in my outstretched arms that were her safe calm.

And my four-year-old was tired.

Plain and simple.

So, yes, their behavior can be bratty, but they aren’t brats.

Little kids are going to have fits and constantly test what they can get away with.

They’re going to accept the toy without saying “thank you,” even if they know they should,

just to make you mad.

They’re going to raise hands at each other and not want to share.

They’re going to seem like absolute brats.

But they aren’t.

They’re little kids,

and we’re in the age of bratty behavior.

And if we set limits, love on them, and see them through,

our kids will be just fine.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId