At 18 months old, my easy-going twin daughters, Chloe and Claire, suddenly transformed into tyrant toddlers. They shouted no, cried over who got their diapers changed first and refused to eat the carefully crafted organic meals that their father and I lovingly prepared. I changed, too, right along with them, but not in a good way.
One afternoon, in particular, sticks in my mind. As soon as my girls had finished their snacks, I put them in the gated-off play area in the kitchen so that I could tackle the dishes. But Chloe and Claire immediately started to cry and sign ?more.? I eyed the stack of dishes. They climbed like prisoners over the gate to get out of the safe play area, screaming at me. I snapped.

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Is yelling at your kids as bad as spanking"?I just gave you food,? I shouted. ?What else do you want from me"? They stared at me, wide-eyed, and screamed even louder. I hated myself for yelling. I didn?t want to be the shouty mom, but here I was, screaming at my daughters for wanting another snack.
That night, I couldn?t sleep, so I Googled ?RIE parenting.? A new-mom friend, who seemed impossibly zen with her toddler son, had mentioned that she practised RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers). This parenting philosophy has been around ...