The Terrificly Terrible Twos

So imagine that you are a little boy who is nearing the ripe ol' age of 2.

What do you think life is like?
Can you imagine what might be going through your head?

Not too long ago I read that the phrase "terrible twos" is really a misnomer.

Even the man who wrote the book that coined the phrase has since regretted placing that label on those specific children.

You've all heard someone say (or have said it yourself) about a child: "they sure are starting those terrible twos early!". And then you have the parents who are baffled (and beyond frustrated) by the fact that their child is seemingly NEVER going to grow out of their terrible twos (You will still hear me say from time to time that my 11 yr old began the phase around 18 months and STILL hasn't grown out of it :).

Anyway, the reality is that this "terrible" phase usually begins around 18 months and can extend through ages 3, 4 and sometimes longer depending on the tenacity of the child.

Why is it terrible? Because for a year and a half you have had this precious, malleable, scrumptious little ball of perfection in your hands, rarely putting up a fight and always ready to warm your spirits with a simple smile.

Then the terribleness starts....why oh why do they need to be independent???? Oh yeah, because we don't want them living in our homes forever.

So this new desire for independence, identity, etc., comes with a catch: we have to live with buttheads for a few years. Oh come on, you know you've thought it at least once. And I don't use that word as a derogatory term...to me it simply refers to someone who will have things no other way but their own. And that, my dears, is the essence of a toddler....

So why all the "terrible" talk?

Because my little Judie Patootie has recently started to really show his age.

He has learned how to manipulate his screams so that every time he is the least bit displeased, you would think that he has actually just had his arm amputated sans anesthesia.

Or his need to have a specific toy in his hand the entire day (God forbid you should ask him to put it down)...even if it means that it will cause his falls to be worse because the hand that would have caught him was filled.

Or discovering all those drawers that you had hoped would remain invisible to him...and then emptying those drawers out repeatedly.

Does a toddler know how to get your attention or what?

But there is always the "other hand".

These times are also the most amazing. The most exciting.

They are learning EVERYTHING!

Everything they will need to know for life is being learned right now.

How to eat on their own

How to remove/put on their clothes

How to use their manners

How to use the toilet (eventually!)

How to speak correctly

This list is endless really.

And so at the end of the day, when you've finally gotten the goofy kid off to bed and you're hopefully left with a quiet house, you can reflect back on the cool things that he has done today and anticipate the wonderful things that he will do tomorrow.

And just think...not only is he painstakingly working his way towards bigger and better things, he is also molding YOU into a better parent.

Truly, no good thing comes without a cost.

Here are some recent pics of my terribly terrific Jude doing the things he loves most

(and always with something in hand)