I
love the books mentioned above for general parenting philosophy, but find the specific techniques that they suggested a little harder to use with my almost 3-year-old. However, you can derive some valuable information on altering your approach to situations and your expectations - which, IMO, is the most important aspect of loving a 2-year-old.
For more practical stuff, I really found Positive Discipline to be helpful (and it also helps with your perspective). Also, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be is
fantastic.
It's funny, you know - I spent most of my ds' toddlerhood looking for books that would tell me how to respectfully manage my ds' behavior in very practical, "how-to" terms. There is a serious lack of such books and I now know why. It's because what generally needs managing is one's own reactions and approaches to the behavior - once we manage ourselves rather than our children, the rest (usually) sorts itself out.
Don't know if that's relevant... just thinking out loud
.
