Toddler Tantrums and The Difficulty of Understanding

It's been a little while since I last shared anything on here, so here comes a bit of a ramble...grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy!

We recently moved which was certainly an experience with a full blown toddler running about everywhere. We're not in our final home yet, but definitely one step closer and it goes without saying that Freddie is happier here. The thing that amazed me was how quickly he settled in; he knows where his room is, he knows his routine, he sleeps better and the major thing, he knows where he is when we go out in the car/for a walk. He points, and smiles at the bungalow, he knows.

Freddie is soon to be 18 months, which is so hard to believe, I was constantly told that time flies but I didn't quite understand. The past month or so he's developed so many things its impossible to begin to list them all, he is now fully confident walking about, his speech is really coming along and most importantly (but also the most difficult) his individuality and need for his own decisions to be heard has grown.

It is safe to say his tantrums have increased recently. I know its a normal, natural thing but my god is it hard to cope with. I think I've worked out the main trigger, aside from the obvious that he's a toddler pushing boundaries;

When we don't understand each other

There are only so many slurred words and gobbledegook all of us can take. Every day we're getting better at working out what we all expect and want at the time but I can completely feel his pain in feeling frustrated and irritated. Working on important words and identifying objects is a big deal and another thing I'd taken for granted. How can we expect a small human to know what "Freddie, you can't touch the fire it's hot" means. At the end of the day, he doesn't know what any of that means. Similarly I haven't a clue what "Mama...mjgbergbuehfiejf wow....oh no" means. I assume something bad.

Honestly if anyone has some tips on how to develop his language without the frustration then please, don't be shy...let me know!

It's safe to say that the frustration has led to a slip in my mental health. I've always found it hard to explain myself and express my emotions at the time, so add into that mix added stress at work and feeling overwhelmed by most things, it's been hard. It's almost felt like the whole world has been against me, it's exhausting.

I need a long nap...