Well, our sweet baby girl is now 2 1/2 years old.
And we are experiencing – in full force – the dreaded “Terrible Twos.” It happened almost instantly after her second birthday and it’s really not hard to read the signs to figure it out. It’s kind of like this:
Sign # 1 your toddler has entered the Terrible Twos:
She is becoming negative about most things, often saying ‘no’ and experiencing frequent mood changes and temper tantrums.
Sign #’s 2-4 your toddler has entered the Terrible Twos:
Screaming, more temper tantrums and total meltdowns.
Yes, it seems like this phase will be a challenge, but I totally understand that she is becoming more independent and trying to express herself without the language skills needed to be fully understood. And as she continues to build her vocabulary and become more independent, I have grown to find that with this age has come some of the most wonderful, fun, and loving moments that we have had with each other to date.
These are the reasons why I love and hate the Terrible Twos:
Love
The conversations. Yes, we have conversations. Like actual conversations. It’s amazing to think about how much Rylee knows. We talk about the weather and her days at school (who’s this Ethan??) and she knows how to tell me what she wants for dinner or responds to me “Goodnight” and “Love you” when I leave her room at bedtime.
Hate
The word no. She says it to everything! I think it’s just a natural thing for kids to want to say for some instinctual reason. She’ll say it even when I am sure she means yes. And I am sure she will continue to say this, even after the Terrible Twos.
Love
I’ve learned more about Ry’s personality in the last 2 1/2 months than ever before. I found out she’s a complete girly girl. You know how? I painted her nails once, and when they started chipping, she was so upset, so I had to repaint them before school. Right after she asked me to put her hair in pigtails. With matching bows. She also complains when I take her bows out before bed.
Hate
She knows how to control me. Especially now that she knows her manners. I can’t say no to her when she says “Pease, mommy” so nicely!
Love
She says “Pease, mommy” so nicely.
Hate
Tantrums. The hardest part about them is me holding back the urge to run to her and give her whatever she wants, or depending on my mood, completely lose it! But I know that this only makes them worse. She’s such a sweet soul that calm voices and a hug will usually make it better. But I still don’t like them.
Love
Laughter. I love that she laughs when she hears others around her laugh. I love the sound of her laugh. I love the laugh she makes when I tickle her or throw her on the bed. And she knows funny. When Daddy does something silly, she says straight out, “Funny Daddy!” And we laugh together afterwards.
Hate
When I can’t understand her and she gets legit frustrated. She knows exactly what she is saying, but unfortunately, sometimes I can’t make it out. I mean her f’s sound like p’s, so it’s not an easy language to understand. But my new tactic is to ask her to show me what she means, and that has actually been working well.
Love
We get each other. Even when we can’t understand each other, we just do.
