--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I…" description: "\"“...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I bought a book called Toddler Taming. It was a revelation. The advice on how to deal with small angry immature peo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/allison-pearson-10663_books_emily-hit-the-terrible-twos-and-i-bought_2027506.jpg" --- # ...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I bought a book called… ![“...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I bought a book called Toddler Taming. It was a revelation. The advice on how to deal with small angry immature people who have no idea of limits and were constantly testing their mother applied perfectly to my boss. Instead of treating him as a superior, I began…” quote by Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/allison-pearson-10663_books_emily-hit-the-terrible-twos-and-i-bought_2027506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/allison-pearson-10663_books_emily-hit-the-terrible-twos-and-i-bought_2027506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/allison-pearson-10663_books_emily-hit-the-terrible-twos-and-i-bought_2027506.jpg) > ““...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I bought a book called Toddler Taming. It was a revelation. The advice on how to deal with small angry immature people who have no idea of limits and were constantly testing their mother applied perfectly to my boss. Instead of treating him as a superior, I began handling him as though he were a tricky small boy. Whenever he was about to do something naughty, I would do my best to distract him; if I wanted him to do something, I always made it look like it was his idea.”” [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treating an adult boss like a mischievous child can reveal effective, playful influence strategies. **In simple terms:** Handle difficult people with child‑like tactics. Key Takeaway Use distraction and framing to guide behavior. Themes leadership influence psychology Mood cautious strategic Type advice leadership When to use this quote - workplace conflict - team management - negotiation Key Concepts behavioral manipulation authority dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance playfulness with professionalism? - When does this approach backfire? A Different Perspective May undermine respect or be seen as manipulative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boss/) [Immature people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immature-people/) [Terrible Twos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-twos/) ## Related quotes > [A Women who can cope with the terrible twos can cope with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-clabes/a-women-who-can-cope-with-the-terrible-twos-can-cope-with-anything/) Judith Clabes > [“Sounds like someone's hit the terrible twos." "Threes actually," Quil corrected. "You missed the party. Princess theme. She made me wear a crown, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/sounds-like-someone-s-hit-the-terrible-twos-threes-actually-quil/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Families survive the Terrible Twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons. A 2-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/families-survive-the-terrible-twos-because-toddlers-aren-t-strong-2/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [The best parenting advice I ever got was from a labor nurse who told me the following: 1. After your baby gets here, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-best-parenting-advice-i-ever-got-was-from-a-labor-nurse-who-told/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Whoever came up with the term “terrible twos” must have felt very foolish after their kid turned three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/whoever-came-up-with-the-term-terrible-twos-must-have-felt-very/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“But it is the nature of narcissistic entitlement to see the situation from only one very subjective point of view that says “My feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-hotchkiss/but-it-is-the-nature-of-narcissistic-entitlement-to-see-the-situation/) [Sandy Hotchkiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-hotchkiss/) > [“Toddlers are adorable, but taking care of them doesn’t really get easier. Whoever came up with the term “terrible twos” must have felt very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/toddlers-are-adorable-but-taking-care-of-them-doesn-t-really-get/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [The cliches are all true! My son Max has just turned two, and he's literally turned into this driven young man overnight! The terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burn-gorman/the-cliches-are-all-true-my-son-max-has-just-turned-two-and-he-s/) [Burn Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burn-gorman/) > [Families survive the terrible twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/families-survive-the-terrible-twos-because-toddlers-aren-t-strong/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [No such thing as a bad marriage, only immature people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-such-thing-as-a-bad-marriage-only-immature-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Emotionally immature people often have difficulty engaging in humor in ways that strengthen bonds with others. Instead, they push humor on others, even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-c-gibson/emotionally-immature-people-often-have-difficulty-engaging-in-humor/) [Lindsay C. Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-c-gibson/) > [“A mature person has the integrity to be alone. And when a mature person gives love, he gives without any strings attached to it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/a-mature-person-has-the-integrity-to-be-alone-and-when-a-mature/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Immature people deal with their problems by cutting people off. Mature people try try to solve their problems via communication..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/immature-people-deal-with-their-problems-by-cutting-people-off-mature/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Immature people always want to win arguments even at the cost of a relationship. Mature people prefer losing an argument just to uphold a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/immature-people-always-want-to-win-arguments-even-at-the-cost-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people fail to realize that there will always be those immature people who like to see you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaylon-hillsman/some-people-fail-to-realize-that-there-will-always-be-those-immature/) [Jaylon Hillsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaylon-hillsman/) ## More by Allison Pearson > [“Women used to have time to make mince pies and had to fake orgasms. Now we can manage the orgasms, but we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/women-used-to-have-time-to-make-mince-pies-and-had-to-fake-orgasms/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [Women now influence the majority of consumer purchases. It is women's votes that will secure victory at the next election, hence the altogether delicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/women-now-influence-the-majority-of-consumer-purchases-it-is-women-s/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [“One of the best things about having children is that it enables you to have the same loving memories as another person - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/one-of-the-best-things-about-having-children-is-that-it-enables-you/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [“The way I look at it, women in the City are like first-generation immigrants. You get off the boat, you keep your eyes down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/the-way-i-look-at-it-women-in-the-city-are-like-first-generation/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [“Being your slave, what should I do but tend Upon the hours and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/being-your-slave-what-should-i-do-but-tend-upon-the-hours-and-times/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [My husband is old-fashioned and kind, he does the greatest Sinatra impression, and I'd never have written anything if he hadn't read all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/my-husband-is-old-fashioned-and-kind-he-does-the-greatest-sinatra/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [“She laughed now, and the sound of it--clear as a bell, dirty as a rugby match--turned heads all along their row.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/she-laughed-now-and-the-sound-of-it-clear-as-a-bell-dirty-as-a-rugby/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [“‎"There is an easy standoff between the two kinds of mother which sometimes makes it hard for us to talk to each other. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/there-is-an-easy-standoff-between-the-two-kinds-of-mother-which/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [Going through puberty, that Cape Canaveral of the hormones, young girls are in love with the idea of being in love, trying it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/going-through-puberty-that-cape-canaveral-of-the-hormones-young-girls/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [When we talk about women's struggle to balance their lives, certain men growl, 'If you can't stand the heat, get back to the kitchen.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/when-we-talk-about-women-s-struggle-to-balance-their-lives-certain/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [I'm interested in the things that might seem slight or amusing but which I feel have a kind of profundity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/i-m-interested-in-the-things-that-might-seem-slight-or-amusing-but/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [Children are the proof we've been here . . . they're where we go to when we die. They're the best thing and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/children-are-the-proof-we-ve-been-here-they-re-where-we-go-to-when-we/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [I've struggled with depression, and the signs that I was falling apart - having heart palpitations at 4 A.M. - were there for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/i-ve-struggled-with-depression-and-the-signs-that-i-was-falling-apart/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [When you're young your mother shields you from the world because she thinks you're too young to understand, and when she's old you shield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/when-you-re-young-your-mother-shields-you-from-the-world-because-she/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [God probably thinks it’s worth giving a sense of humor only to those of us who have to laugh at all the rubbish bits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/god-probably-thinks-it-s-worth-giving-a-sense-of-humor-only-to-those/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) [Explore all 64 Allison Pearson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...Emily hit the Terrible Twos and I bought a book called Toddler Taming. It was a revelation. The advice on how to deal with small angry immature people who have no idea of limits and were constantly testing their mother applied perfectly to my boss. Instead of treating him as a superior, I began handling him as though he were a tricky small boy. 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