This weekend we welcomed the onset of the "terrible two's." I know- you look at that sweet little face and you think, "It's not possible." But I assure you, it is. I am so not ready for this...
I wonder if he senses that things are about to change. We do talk to him about the baby, and we try and help him understand why mama's belly is growing. But he is still a baby himself in so many ways, that I don't really think he grasps what is happening. However, it is easier to blame the tantrums on these changes, rather than face the fact that we might be heading into that unknown land of the two's. His tantrums are pretty tame at this point- but since Vijay is such a happy, easy little guy- it has caught us by surprise. He basically does this screaming cry when he doesn't get his way, and then if we try to pick him up, he goes limp and throws his head back. I tried to put him into his carseat during one of these tantrums, and he actually clawed at my face in his hysterics. That really shocked me, as he is always pretty loving towards us- lots of hugs, snuggles and kisses. If babyhood is physically exhausting, than all I can say is toddler hood is looking to be more emotionally exhausting. But we persevere- and we find reasons to laugh.
Ready for this gold-star parenting story? Friday was a tough day- my husband was out of town, so I was on baby duty from 6am- 7:30pm without a break- a long day. Friday also happened to be
4/20, a date that means
something here in college town. Vijay woke up from his nap around 3, we had lunch and decided to walk up to campus to see if our favorite jugglers were on the main green. As we neared the grounds, it started to smell strongly of pot- not like one kid toking up in his dorm room, but like clouds of smoke. I was confused...
Then we came to the green- we literally walked onto the green at
4:20 on 4/20- the national holiday of marijuana. Here I am, pushing my BABY through the cloud of smoke, desperately trying to get through to the other side and laughing hysterically to myself, while all around us, about one thousand students are smoking up. I just about died. Seriously- parenting award of the year goes to....
Like I said...we find reasons to laugh.
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I used to hate the tantrums, especially when we were out in public. I remember my husband having to carry my older daughter out of Walmart as she screamed her lungs out. He was so embarrassed and thought for sure people would think he was kidnapping her!
When the kids would stiffen up in the car seat I would tickle them and they would instantly fold. I try as quickly as I could to get the harness on! Ha! You're doing a great job Christine!
Haha! That is hilarious! (maybe it helped the flow of laughter too)!
The only way to get through the two's (esp when pregs) is with a lot of patience, a strong sense of humor, and most of all by not being too hard on yourself. EVERY kid whines and has tantrums. You'll figure out your own way of dealing with it and sometimes you'll utterly fail. I think I may have even had a tantrum or two myself. Are moms allowed to "go limp" sometimes?
That story just made me laugh out loud. I can picture it perfectly!
I found that the Gestalt Institute books, Your Two Year Old, etc, were the best tool for getting through these challenging developmental stages. They give all the info on what task the child is working on and ideas on how to help them achieve their goal, as well as what exactly to expect during that time. They sure helped me to see things from the child's point of view and gave me patience to wait the chaos out :)
hahahaha!!!!! love it.