There are hashtags and groups all over the internet dedicated to all of the truly bizarre reasons kids under 4 or 5 seem to meltdown on a daily basis.

Sometimes more often than that.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

And though it may seem like parents are making fun of their sweet little emotional powder kegs, the truth is, if we don’t laugh about it with people who understand we’ll just totally cry instead.

These 16 toddlers aren’t ours, and therefore, they are funny.

16. More is better, obviously.

“My daughter had a 15-minute meltdown because her brother’s name has more letters in it than hers.” 

15. They really don’t understand “for your own good.”

“My 2-year-old had a 30-minute tantrum because I wouldn’t let her touch the cat poop in the litter box.” 

14. She is going to tell her therapist about this one day.

“Our little girl cried because her jeans had buttons. That’s how we discovered that she’s afraid of buttons.”

13. Eh, I think I would have said, “why not.”

“My almost 2-year-old daughter had a fit because she couldn’t keep a zip-lock bag on her foot.” 

12. I guess they didn’t live up to the image in her mind.

“I took the 3-year-old girl I was babysitting to the zoo. We were looking at the elephants when she got mad at me and cried for two hours because she wanted to see ‘real elephants.'” 

11. Awww, poor little sweet soul.

“When my son was 4, he got mad because I wouldn’t let him keep an earwig as a pet. I made him leave it outside when he came indoors and he was SO UPSET that his earwig would die without him.” 

10. This is fair. It’s never too early for donuts.

“My 3-year-old niece sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and says she wants donuts. When her mom tells her it’s too early, she throws a fit.”

9. What is WRONG with you? How DARE.

“I was playing pretend doctor with my 3-year-old daughter when I put an imaginary bandage on her arm. She yelled at me that it was the wrong kind, then ripped off the imaginary bandage and threw it away.”

8. The drama is strong with this one.

“My daughter started BAWLING because I said, ‘OK, dude, let’s get to bed!’ She yelled, ‘I not a dude! I just Natalie!’ I then said, ‘I’m sorry, Natalie!’ and she screamed at me not to say her name.” 

7. Because she wanted to be the villain in The Princess Bride?

“My daughter had a meltdown because she didn’t have six fingers on one hand.” 

6. Makes perfect sense.

“My sister threw an hour-long tantrum because she couldn’t bring her hamster to our grandmother’s funeral.” 

5. A little Sheldon Cooper in the making.

“I’m a nanny and the little one I care for threw a tantrum because her sister got out of the car on ‘her’ side.” 

4. The crab, too, wishes she was there.

“Our female fiddler crab died and my 3-year-old daughter was devastated that the crab did not have the chance to go to the zoo with her.” 

3. I would ask if she had a reason, but she doesn’t need one.

“My little sister had an absolute meltdown when I told her she was born on a Thursday. She wanted to be born on a Wednesday.” 

2. You shall never convince her of this as long as you live.

“My daughter threw a tantrum because someone took a bite out of her strawberry. It was her. She took a bite out of her strawberry.” 

1. Let me guess, he wouldn’t listen when you tried to warn him.

“My son flipped out because he tried to eat a piece of candy and a piece of broccoli at the same time, and they tasted bad together.” 

I am fast approaching these ages with my own kids, and one of them has always had a lot of big feelings – I’m bracing myself!

Do you have a funny story about a toddler in your life?

Share it in the comments!