Terrifying Twos

Olivia seems to have decided that she's going to make the most of being two. She is fulfilling the expectation of a two-year-old being spirited, tenacious, and strong-willed, and that's my kind way of explaining it. The other day she caught me completely off guard and scared the living-day-lights out of me. We were driving on I-70 at about 70 miles an hour. She was having a full-on I'm-going-to-scream-until -one-of -us-passes-out tantrums when somehow she wiggled free from the top straps of her car seat. At this point she thought opening the back door would be a good idea. The doors were of course locked, but if you pull on the handle twice the door will open. And this is exactly what she did while we were speeding down the highway. I about died. Of course there was no shoulder to pull over onto, so I had to reach back and try to hold the door closed while still trying to drive. Then this determined little one started grabbing at my hand to pull it off while simultaneously trying to push the door open wider. I'm screaming like I've never screamed before, and Olivia is screaming right back at me. It was unbelievably terrifying. I finally found enough space to pull over, but I didn't really know what to do. I didn't want to get out of the car because it was getting dark and cars were flying by us. So I told her NEVER to open the door, and if she did she would get a time-out. A time-out seems like such a wimpy response, but I didn't know what else to say. In shock, I drove home. Once I got home and calmed down a bit, Yale and I realized that we can set the locks so that someone sitting in the back seat cannot open the doors when they're locked. I've also been pulling Olivia's car seat straps super tight. She hates it, but I see no other alternative. Boy, do I ever hope this is a stage!!!!