The Key to the Terrible Twos: Positive Thinking

It’s not easy, these Terrible Twos. (See picture.) I was in tears twice today. BigBrother shed a few more than I did because his frustration level is even higher. He obviously wants to communicate clearly but has trouble understanding limits and the fact that inside voices are meant for the inside, especially when LittleBrother is asleep. It’s been a rough couple of days. Or weeks. Or perhaps months. I can’t tell. Everything has blurred together. I am worn out.

And so, I’ve decided to lift my spirits. And not totally freak out my friends with children who are not yet two. Because? It’s not all a string of horrible moments. It’s basically a string of horrible moments with random interjections of absolute wonder. Sometimes a bunch of wonder together with some horrible moments. It varies. You can never tell what it will be from one moment to the next. And that’s where the exhaustion comes in: always guessing as to what is coming next.

With that said, a list of things that I currently love about BigBrother.

1. BigBrother Speak. He tells us stories. Long ones. Granted, he does have a sizable vocabulary. But when he launches into an entire story, it’s a bunch of nonsense with some real words. At the end, he gives a little laugh like he’s just delivered a subtly funny punchline. We laugh because we have no idea what he said. He nods.

2. He’s a Little Parent. He nurses his fire doggie. (Yes, I have pictures.) He puts a diaper on fire doggie and puts him in a laundry basket bed with a blanket. Someone absolutely has to be holding and rocking fire doggie if he is playing with something else. He’s very kind and compassionate.

3. The Kid Loves Books. Of course, that means that I read the same things for hours on end but hey, that’s a sacrifice (sanity!) that I’m willing to make to raise a reader. Even if we’re not actually reading to him, he’ll sit down with books and chatter to himself. It’s refreshing.

4. He Has Manners. No! Really! When we went to buy him special underwear at the store last week, he put each pack on the counter at the cash register and said, “Thank you,” with each one. The gentleman behind me commented on his manners. He also excuses himself when he passes gas or burps. Though he sometimes says, “MOVE, MOMMY,” he also says “Excuse me” at times when he needs to get by. He mostly remembers please. He’ll say “bless you” if someone sneezes. And almost always remembers to say “you’re welcome!”

5. He’s Really Rather Gentle with LittleBrother. We’ve had a few run-ins. An accidental kick. An overzealous poke. One legitimate hit. But mostly he just wants to cuddle him and give him kisses and make him laugh. I hope they will be best friends.

6. He Loves Pierogies! Okay, so the kid hates vegetables right now. But he’ll always eat pierogies. In fact! I bribed him to eat a piece of broccoli the other night. I threatened not to give him any more pierogies if he didn’t eat the (small) piece of broccoli. So he ate it. Pierogies are crack to the child.

7. His Laugh. Many of you remember his laugh from a video on the old family blog. I should get it on video again. While his fake laugh grates my last nerve, his real laugh is salve to my soul.

8. His Energy. So, maybe it’s hard to appreciate because we’re cooped up inside with this stupid winter of DOOM! But really? It’s pretty awesome. And he’s so passionate! If he’s playing with cars, HE’S PLAYING WITH CARS! If he’s playing with trains, HE’S PLAYING WITH TRAINS! If he’s going potty, HE’S GOING POTTY! If he’s laughing, HE’S LAUGHING! He’s all about whatever he’s all about.

9. The Way He Loves His Daddy. I wish I could say that the child was a Mama’s Boy. But he’s all about his Daddy. And I love the moments they have together.

10. His Phrases. He says “bootylicious.” (Thanks to FireDad’s friend at the Fire Department.) And “wiggety whack.” (Thanks to FireDad.) And when I do something good, he says, “I’m proud of you, Mommy.” (That’s thanks to me because I say it 39897 times per day.) I love when he holds out the “M” of Mommy so it comes out Mmmmmmmmmmmommy! He’s starting to pronounce things properly and phones are no longer tones. That’s sad in a way. But he’s just absorbing so much language everyday. As a word geek, I love that about him.

There are billions more things that I do love about the child. I just picked out ten things. I’ll try to do that once a month. To remind myself that he is an awesome and loved child. Because after a day like today, oh, I needed to remind myself.