I'm always skeptical when people talk about the "terrible twos." Quite frankly, children develop differently and I find it hard to believe that every child must experience a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde transformation on the eve of his 2nd birthday. That is, until my perfect little angel woke up one morning with devil horns.
I'm not saying that Daniel is naughty, but he has recently developed an increasingly oppositional personality that seems to coincide perfectly with the beginning of his third year of life. Not only is his vocabulary growing at an amazing rate, but his temper is as well. When he doesn't get his way, he will no longer "let it slide." Oh no. He will whine, cry, throw things, even hurl himself onto the floor just to communicate to me that he is, in fact, pissed off. Simple daily rituals have become battles: changing his diaper involves getting repeatedly kicked in the chest and face, putting him in his high chair for a meal can take years off your life, and putting him in his crib for a nap or bedtime is a crapshoot. Sometimes he lays down peacefully and babbles himself to sleep, while other times he cries his eyes out and throws his beloved blanket over the side of the crib in the hopes that Mommy or Daddy will come to his rescue. If I happen to intervene on his behalf, he will continue the behavior. It's a never-ending circle of frustration, and it makes me want to bang my head against a wall.
Part of the reason why this defiant behavior is so stressful for us is because we are experiencing it for the first time. Daniel has always been an easy kid, and we have not often found ourselves in these challenging situations. Ultimately, the way we learn to deal with Daniel's oppositional behavior will make us better parents and help us immensely when the next child comes along. I suppose we are lucky to have made it this far without having to deal with sleeping or eating issues. And I know that this is just a phase. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But sometimes it seems like the tunnel is terribly, terribly long.
1 comment:
Daniel is becoming a very independent little boy. When he wants something he doesn't hesitate to express himself. Just the other day he wanted me to sit next to him and he said to me, "Mom-Mom sit"!! He meant it and even motioned with his hand. He is maturing everyday and to hear his vocabulary expand is beyond expectations. Another great blog Stef.
Love - MOM XOXOXO
Post a Comment