They call them them the terrible twos for a reason, and it looks like Maddie Brown is discovering why. On Thursday, November 14, the Sister Wives star took to Instagram to admit that she’s struggling. Her 2-year-old son, Axel, has been trying her patience lately, and managing her temper is no easy feat. After sharing a photo of the toddler sleeping, the mom of two took the opportunity to reflect on how they’ll both make it through these tough times.

“Some days I stare at him sleeping and promise to be more patient, more understanding, more compassionate [and] more laid back,” Maddie, 24, wrote. “I promise to not lose my temper as much, to try and understand his point of view. Then he wakes up and my promises do well. They usually last about 2.5 seconds into [him] climbing onto the entertainment center and smacking the TV … but for now, I’ll stare at my sleeping boy and wonder at his curious mind and pray I survive him. 😂💚💚”

Hey, at least he looks like an angel when his eyes are closed, right? The toddler’s behavioral issues haven’t been the only bump in the road, though. The mom has also dealt with plenty of hate when it comes to Axel’s pacifier. “Axel’s paci is a hot topic, and I receive countless PMs, comments and all [about] it,” she told fans in October. “People are just trying to be helpful, [and] I get that. It’s not helpful, though. It makes me feel worse because he was [weaned] at one point. It’s something I set up evaluations for, talk to his teachers about [and] talk to his doctors about because I get so much flack on here. It stresses me out that much.”

Revealing that the little boy regressed on that “one thing” after little sister Evangalynn was born, she assured her critics, “Trust me, I did everything to fight it. … We were finally done fighting after Axel walked around for three hours crying [until] he threw up. We both had melted down, my house was DESTROYED from him looking for it (because he knows where we hide it) and all the other things you can imagine.” Eventually, the TLC star’s doctor told the family not to worry about this issue. Considering the fact that Axel was still meeting his developmental milestones, the mom maintained there were “no serious red flags.” And when you’re going through the terrible twos, you’ll take what help you can get.