Toddler Tantrums

Sooo, lets talk about something not so positive, sugar coated, and not so cute...

Toddler Tantrums

I have really been having a big struggle with these lately and I need help :( I know tantrums and attitudes are just apart of the age and stage but I really just do not know how to handle them in the "best" way... Let me give you some classic Harper examples.

This isn't exactly a tantrum but more of a behavior that drives me nuts. Ever since she was about a year old she has been "scared" of strangers (I know the stranger danger stage but hers seems to be worse than that.) For example she is so terrified of her own uncle who has known her since birth. He does live out of state so we only see him every once in awhile but it takes her a good couple days to warm up to him. P.S. he is a super sweet guy and a dad himself so he is not terrifying and he talks to her very sweet so she really has no reason for her meltdowns. And for some reason she is more inclined to freak out over men than women (except for her Dad and Grandpa).

She now has a signature pout face. Its somewhere between a duck face and pouty lips. Its pretty adorable!

Another little behavior that I do not know how to handle is her reaction to us trying to get her to do something. For example, we have recently started a parent and child gymnastics class. I know she needs more outside of the house interaction besides going to dinners and shopping so this is perfect for her. She is also kinda gymnasty lol. (I know that is not a word but really, she can do forward rolls and wants to be flipped 24/7 so whatever.) Anyways, at the beginning of the class the parents and the kids sit in a circle and do a little warm up dance to a song and Harper does not want anything to do with it! The first time we went I thought OK, she just needs to get use to it and she'll be fine but it has been three weeks and she is still giving me drama. I hold her and do the dance and she cries and says NO! I sit on the floor with her and try to get her to do it (in a fun: OH isn't this so fun Harper! kind of way) and she screams and yells NO! And now I am at the point of just letting her throw her fit and I do the dance and try to ignore her but I am beyond embarrassed. The teachers have assured me that they all go through it but she is the only one doing this even when a new child comes in... :( But she does love the actual gymnastics part of the class so it is not a complete fail, just partial. hehe.

Jumping at gymnastics!

And lets not even talk about dinners. They have been almost too much work than enjoyable. Eek. and Target. Well, we have to make a stop at Starbucks for cookies and milk to get a good 45 minutes out of her but I know that is very common so I'm not too worried about those minor "I am 18 months old and I am the queen!" moments. 

I would love some advice on how to handle some behavior situations. Do you ignore them? Do I immediately try to defer her from whatever she is crying about? Or am I just screwed for a couple years?