Easily frustrated 2 year old

I have a beautiful little boy who will be three in July.  He is very smart and considerate.  He tends to be a perfectionist and can become inconsolable over having trouble with a task.  For instance, if he builds a tower with his blocks and they fall over, he cries and cries and won't accept any help or comforting. He does fine at normal tasks and, in fact, is very good at things like puzzles.  Is there something I should be doing for him?  Is this something he will likely grow out of? Thanks in advance.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Karen,

No, there's really nothng you should be doing about this. Your son is simply displaying his temperament, he's not really asking for (or needing) any help. Be patient and understanding with him, and respect his need for 'space' when he's frustrated.

[shawna]

Dear Karen,
Your little boy sounds just like my little girl!
Just be proud that your little guy likes to have things nice and even though he might be a little perfectionist, he is very smart !
What I used to do about the blocks is I would sit down beside my daughter and build my own tower and then knock it down on purpose so she could she that it was somewhat exciting and just as fun.
One day my little girl and I were coloring flowers when suddenly she screamed bloody murder when she felt her flower didn't turn out "right" . I didn't know exactly what to do but I found out that just a lot of patience and tons and tons and TONS of praise she is starting to grow out of it.

[shawna]

Dear Karen,
Your little boy sounds just like my little girl!
Just be proud that your little guy likes to have things nice and even though he might be a little perfectionist, he is very smart !
What I used to do about the blocks is I would sit down beside my daughter and build my own tower and then knock it down on purpose so she could she that it was somewhat exciting and just as fun.
One day my little girl and I were coloring flowers when suddenly she screamed bloody murder when she felt her flower didn't turn out "right" . I didn't know exactly what to do but I found out that just a lot of patience and tons and tons and TONS of praise she is starting to grow out of it.