My littlest man just passed his second birthday, and before anyone can throw it out there, I’m going to stop you right here. He is NOT in his “terrible twos”, or even his “terrific twos,” as much as I appreciate the positive spin on the old cliche.
He’s two. Terrible isn’t quite fair, and terrific may be a little overly sunshiney for me (yes, I’m making sunshiney a word here), but I know, the play on words is…cute? But, let’s be honest, two is challenging. Two has moments of: terrible, terrific, trying, tantruming, terrifying, teasing, toddling, troubling, teaching, taking, touching, talking, tee-heeing…the list could go on but I’m running out of T’s!
But seriously, like ALL ages and stages there are fun things, and not so fun things. There are innumerable moments that bring you to tears, for any number of reasons. Seasoned mamas who’s kids are all grown up can often be found saying, “treasure every moment, it goes so fast,” but let’s be real, some moments are not a treasure. Some moments are a struggle that needs be worked through. After all, in the struggle is where the growth is, right? Though, to again be overly honest, some moments seem to be just moments you need to survive. Like the classic baby blowout poos − the ones that always seemed to happen as you were heading out the door (late!) to an appointment. There’s not much learning, redemption, or joy there; unless you count learning how to remove a onesie without smearing poo everywhere a skill to be learned. Well, it IS a skill, but hopefully one you will not need to use for long! Ah, survival, er, I mean beautiful, blessed memories. Treasures.
While we’re on the subject of “moments granny might say you should treasure,” how about this one:
Last week Mr. Almost 2 took my retainer out of its container (which was “safely” put away in the bathroom drawer). I was able to find the vital top half, but the bottom still remains unfound. To top it off, our free-range bunny quite enjoys chewing on items left on the floor. Especially if the items in question are plastic. There’s always a bright side though, right? Here’s one, as I mentioned it’s the bottom retainer that’s missing, and no one notices crooked bottom teeth nearly as much as crooked top teeth! Right? Plus, I DO have a permanent bonded retainer, so that should buy me a little time before I have to worry about replacing the lost piece or undoing thousands of dollars and three years worth of orthodontic work. Not to mention, when I REALLY start searching in-depth for said small piece of nearly-clear plastic that searching will undoubtedly lead to my house becoming super clean! Judging by the odd places the wee one has packed random items in the past my retainer could be literally anywhere. Plus, if you’ve be been in my house and experienced the joys and chaos of my kid-filled home, this anecdote is probably giving you a little giggle. You’re probably picturing Hector chewing on my retainer while countless kids run around screaming joyfully, completely oblivious to the destruction happening right beside them. Am I right? If I wasn’t, I bet you see it now and you’re at least smiling.
Oh two, you’re a really interesting age! Just when you wonder if your sanity can handle any more, the dear boy will upend the toy bin for the fifth time in an hour, and give you a really confused look when you declare “no fun!” When asked if dumping the bin was fun, he will give the sweetest, most mischievous grin and exclaim “YA!” and toss the toys about a little more.
It may be annoying, butI really feel I owe the creators of “Paw Patrol” a thank you of the monetary type. You know, in a week where the days included adventures such as:
- Not one but three yogurt cups have been taken from the fridge in under thirty minutes (on his own, using a stool he pulled to the fridge himself), with the third proving to be too much and as such a prime “paint” media for my living room
- A near-concussion while playing
- approximately 3000 toys (cumulatively) dumped
- probably about 10,000,000 legos (cumulatively) dumped
- tamtrums…
- about 20+ vicious attacks on the big brothers…
Let’s not keep going…I do love the little man and this list is looking depressing. The point is…was there a point? Right, on the days that can be filled with seemingly unending, repetitive tasks and challenges, “Paw Patrol” has come to the rescue a few times. As much as I said I would never use television to give me a break, I don’t feel one bit of mom-guilt for taking those little breaks this week. Well, maybe there is some mom-guilt, but there really shouldn’t be. Giving myself that break has allowed me some time for sanity, time to recharge so I can give my kids my best again.
Because two is hard! But two is so fleeting and exciting and endearing even in the midst of the challenges.
Oh the joys of two-year old boys!
Kyla
Leave a Reply