Abstract
This article examined how mothers adapted to the negativism and self-assertion of their 2-year old toddlers. Data collected in semi-structured interviews (N=25 mothers) were categorized and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Many mothers (especially those of first-born children) were irritated by their children's increasingly defiant and assertive behavior. These women tended to use coercive control strategies, forcing children to obey them when children s negative behavior was intense or willful. They also used coercive strategies when they were busy or fatigued. Over time, however, mothers found new ways to cope both with children's negative behavior and with their own negative emotions. Many developed new control strategies to elicit children's understanding and compliance as children acquired new skills. Some mothers reflected on their own reactions from the perspective of the child and modified their reactions and expectations toward the children. The results suggested that mothers of toddlers can learn to coordinate their own perspectives with children's perspectives.
