APRIL 20

TERRIBLE TWO'S??
For years before you have kids you here of the famed "terrible two's". The screaming, whining, hitting, scratching, wild beast you encounter when your little one hits the wonderful age of 2 is the demon in your dreams. You brace for it when they approach 12 months, then 18, and as the dreaded 24 months approach, day by day you wait.

But it never really came for B. He was happy, easy going, easily calmed or redirected, and just all around a good little guy.


Until Lately. He has changed, and not for the good. A good friend has a little one (M) that is a few years ahead of B, and for a while she's been talking about how horrible the 3's were and how 4 was a little better, but not much. This same friend once sat in the parking lot after we had lunch and waited for M, who was then 3, to get in the seat. B and I drove away and I thought "Why doesn't she just PUT her in her seat?", I thought this with my "educated child care provider of 12 - 24 month old children" mind. Lately I have found myself sitting in the back seat of the car waiting for B to get in his car seat or better yet, after having put him in it taking him out of it because HE wanted to do it.

The 3's are truly terrible. A torrential flood of emotions.

I literally have to say that we just now had our biggest "fight". It was over him wanting another cupcake and grabbing it off the counter when I said no. He then proceeded to throw his toys off his table while screaming. I picked him up and put him on his bed and told him to sit there. He instantly (I don't know why I thought it would work) got up and ran after me screaming even louder and swinging. I then picked him back up, carried him back to his room, set him on his bed, and put up his gate. The putting up of the gate had to be really swift in order to make it out of his room before he did. I then went downstairs to the basement to get a container for the cupcakes. The whole time I could hear him screaming, I mean screaming, for me. I calmly put the cupcakes away and then put them up where he could not even see them. After that I (again calmly) walked down the hall to his room. He was a mess. I stepped over the gate and sat in his rocking chair and picked him up. He was so upset.

I don't think I have ever made him so mad. And the whole time I kept thinking "Is this going to scar him for life? Is he always going to remember crying at the gate and calling for me and me not coming?".

And he won't even be a full fledged 3 year old until July! And then a whole year of him being 3. I am not looking forward to anymore "fights" like tonight.