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It’s Not the “Twos” That Are Terrible
You better be prepared for the “Threatening Threes”.
When my first child was a two-year-old, I thought that I was the best mother in the world. I had been warned about the “Terrible Twos” phase of toddlerhood, and as the oldest girl in a family of six kids, I had many memories of toddler tantrums.
But my little girl? My sweet angel? No Terrible Twos in sight. She was compliant, affectionate, and gentle. My two-year-old could stroll through a garden, softly stroking each flower petal with a fingertip as she whispered, “Don’t touch! Fragile.”
She was lovely. And I, at least in my own head, was the world’s most patient parent.
Then she turned three.
And I swear to you, horns sprouted, her eyes glowed with fire, and her favorite phrase became “I don’t have to!!!”
Really. It was a long, frustrating year when this Mommy learned that if they really really don’t wanna, you can’t physically force them. I perfected my teeth-gritting and tongue-biting and worked on my “walk away and ignore” techniques.
And on her fourth birthday, literally to the day, she returned once again to the mostly reasonable child I had known before.
