Tantrums!!

A few months ago, I ordered a book from Amazon about 1 year old child development. In the book, they explained that around the year old birthday mark, the child falls into "equilibrium" and is generally a delight to be around. The pendulum then swings, and by 18 months, they are in "disequilibrium", moving back to equilibrium around 2 years.
Well, so far, that book has been right on in terms of Lewis's development. At a year old, Lewis was generally well-behaved. Sure, he threw fits every once in awhile, but he was easy to distract with something else and got over his tears quickly. Now that he is 18 months old, that has changed. Dramatically changed.
Before I became a parent, the part that I dreaded most was temper tantrums. I had scary visions in which my child threw himself or herself on the floor of Kroger and screamed bloody murder when I wouldn't let them have something. Well, those days have come, and guess what? They aren't that bad. We had our first fit in the grocery store a couple of months ago when I wouldn't let Lewis hold the bread (for obvious reasons, unless I wanted to eat a big squishy ball of dough). He threw himself to the floor and let out a huge shriek. Luckily, he quieted down pretty quickly and we left the store.
Now, his tantrums are getting even more elaborate. Today, when I turned off the show he was watching because it was time to leave for the babysitter, he screamed and then threw his toy remotes across the room. (I know this is making him sound like a huge brat. He really isn't. He is usually a very good little boy, but he does have his moments.) The strange thing is, is that I actually thought this was pretty funny. I was still laughing about it to myself when I got to work later. Because, of course, he will have to learn with the consequences of his tantrums. He won't get his toys replaced if he breaks them, and I won't give in and give him what he wants when he throws a tantrum. He is either ignored, or I haul him off to the crib in a "football hold" so he can "calm down" there.
So, in summary, something you dread usually doesn't turn out to be that bad. Of course, I may change my mind next time he has a holy meltdown in the store and everyone turns to stare at me. Until then, I'm just going to laugh about it.