the war on tantrums

Our own personal war on tantrums has begun. It kind of snuck up on us, with increased fussiness followed by some crying, then each of us giving excuses to the other for the strange behavior from our darling baby boy. Then it hit us: THIS kid is throwing tantrums and getting away with it. With immediate fear of raising a brat, we sought help (with a few tears), and realized that this war did not come with a clearcut right/wrong strategy for battle. It sure isn't simple, and with lack of sleep, we have had a few tense moments here...
But we are going to conquer. We will.
(ok, so does it sound like I'm trying to convince myself here, or what?)
Anyhow, a few dear friends and one of the caregivers at daycare offered some helpful advice for positive parenting. We've been trying it out now for a couple days, and I'm pretty impressed. So far, there has been a marked decrease in tantrums, increased responsiveness when we make requests, and many many many more smiles by all of us. We'll keep you posted. (and keep us in your prayers!)

Now off to battle I go...