Trotsåldern is the age of toddler tantrums; what in English-speaking countries is known as 'the terrible twos', but which often extends to three and four-year-olds too. It is a compound word combining trots, meaning 'defiance' (note: trots is also a preposition meaning 'despite') and åldern meaning 'the age of', and therefore literally means 'the age of defiance'. Trotsåldern is also the subject of innumerable articles in newspapers, magazines and parenting blogs with titles like: Hur man hanterar barn i trotsåldern (How to handle children in the terrible twos), Myten om trotsåldern (The myth of the terrible twos), and Så överlever ni trotsåldern (How you survive the terrible twos).