July 14, 2008
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The Terrible Twos and other such Nightmares
It’s been a month now since my little girl turned 2. She has a very sweet disposition and is prone to cuddling, hugs and kisses, and now that she’s got more than 5 words to her vocabulary, she can answer my “I love you” with an “I love you too, Momma!” So, I never thought much of those dreaded terrible twos. If only I had known.
There are so many things that are changing and developing with Gigi right now that I can hardly blame her for the occasional fusses and tantrums, but I think I am about to pull my hair out.
She has always been a very talented and faithful eater (she gets this from me, no doubt!) but recently she has started to get picky. Now, I wasn’t very worried about it because most child-rearing books will tell you that even a picky eater is getting enough to eat. But then, she started to play with the food she didn’t want to eat. At that, she succeeded in making an even larger mess than if she had attempted to eat it. The pickiness comes and goes, there is no certain food that she will or will not eat, but just depending on her mood or even the time of day, something she might ordinarily love she will throw on the floor. Cute, isn’t it?
Now, however, she doesn’t seem to be getting enough. Every time I turn around, she is rifling through our cabinets or trying to open the fridge. I woke up at 3:15 the other morning to the sound of her crying and when I went in to check on her she greeted me with an, “EAT! EAT!” I made pancakes at 3:30 AM while watching Harry Potter on DVD (which, by the way, she is completely obsessed with, and will watch with more rapt and attention than any animated Disney Film or dreaded Barbie Princess movie).
The latest installment of this oh-so-lovely stage is her strike on sleep. She has been refusing to nap and screaming till she’s blue in the face when we put her down at night. Nothing in our normal bedtime routine has changed lately, so I can only imagine that something is going on with her. My husband and I have decided that it’s time for not only a nightlight but perhaps a small radio or CD player so she can drift off to dreamland to the sleepy, soulful sounds of Brahms, Mozart, and other such nursery lullabies.
We are also trying to potty train right now, but with no enforced emphasis. My goal in that area is to have her completely out of diapers by age 3. I’m taking it slow so as not to scare her. I know I can’t remember when I was being toilet-trained but from what I have heard, it can be quite a traumatic and detrimental experience (but where does the poopy go?).
So, I have lost a bit of sleep lately (and perhaps my patience, on the rare occasion) but all-in-all, the terrible-ness has been quite tame. Hopefully, this isn’t just the tip of the iceberg and that I haven’t just jinxed myself!
As with all things, the good comes hand-in-hand with the not-so-good. Probably the cutest thing to come out of her growing independence is her newfound obsession with shoes and has been caught walking around the house in both our shoes!
Comments (9)
My little brothers went on a sleep strike…eighteen years ago. Can’t deny their dedication.
apparently when my mom first broached the topic of potty training with the book “Prudence and the Pot” i did not respond well. i waited till the book was finished being read to me, then threw it across the room
but eventually i was willing to do it on my own… peer pressure from cousins and such can help?
Now could also be a good time, when you teach her right and wrong and when she does wrong, punish her, by time out, so like taking away her toy.
Ah, the terrible twos. Good luck! In our house, the twos were a teeny bit terrible, but the threes were the more challenging time. They’re all different, but as they learn to exert their independence and control…..well, let’s just say it can be a little tough on Mommy!
@Abigailigator - “Prudence and the Pot”? That just sounds like a disaster. Oh no, wait. Are we talking about the thing prudence, or a person named Prudence. I suppose that would make a big difference. It was probably a little girl’s name, right?
She’s a growing Harry Potter fan, I hope!
My mom used to read my siblings and I a book called “The Princess and the Potty.” It’s kinda cute. Silly, but cute.
Hahaha, at least she has a good taste in shoes! ^^
-kat
Ah gotta love those times. I’m on that battle field at the moment myself. One thing I’m finding helpful is the book “Playful Parenting”. I’ve read it through a couple of times and many ideas have helped with minimizing hitting and anger issues.
It is best to wait until you daughter is showing signs of being ready to potty learn before you start trying. Really cuts down on headaches and frustrations. Like you need any more of that right now huh?
it was a very popular children’s book back in the day, but i guess Everybody Poops is more the thing these days?
and as for eating… Zack does the same. He won’t eat what’s on the table and then plunders the fridge and pantry non-stop. I don’t know what to do with him either. If you find a solution, let me know