So Close!

I'm not sure if any of you have really small kids or have ever dealt with them, but being the parent of a 3 year old is not for the faint at heart. He just turned 3 in March and has been starting to behave better, but you never know what's truly coming when they are just cute little babies. My oldest Josiah was one of the best babies I could have asked for. I could easily take him in public and he never fussed. He also listened when I said no to things. I felt like I was a great mom and that my son would only get better and better. DUM DUM DUM!!! Then came along his second birthday, it was like a switch was internally flipped from good baby to bad toddler. Really, ever since his second birthday he has tried my patience. He has talked back, gotten into things, and blatently ignored me so much this past year that I would be unable to count. And the very worst thing of all is the huge tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. I remember being a teenager and looking at kids who threw tantrums in the store and would think that they had little backbones and needed to punish their kids more. Now I know the truth as does every parent that has ever gone through the terrible twos. A tantrum has nothing to do with the parent and how they raise their child. It has to do more with how the child melts down and is incapable of calming his or herself. It's actually a very normal thing when a child doesn't know how to deal with their normal emotions. Here's a link I found that has a good explanation on the terrible twos and a couple of tips for parents. Terrible Twos Anyways, for the past month I have seen more improvement in my son's behavior than in the past year. I finally see the light out of this parenting dilemma of having a two year old. Along with his behavior slowly getting better, his speech and understanding has improved too. Yesterday we were pretending to be birds when I asked him to fly and he said he couldn't fly because it was too hard and he didn't have wings. I don't know where he learned that from, but it really made me realize how he has started to analyze things now. I think two year olds are so difficult because they can't communicate what they want and it frustrates them. I took Josiah to the park yesterday in Pittsburg, Kansas, where my sister lives and he listened so well the entire time and even helped me with his little cousin. And his cousin just turned two and he has just started driving his parents crazy. His cousin kept trying to run away and even tried to jump into the pond. It gave me a good reminder of how far my son has come. So for any parents who have a two year old right now, keep you head up, it will end and things will get better. Not saying that kids can't go through a rough patch in their threes because all children are different. There are some that actually continue bad behavior well into their threes. This is a site on the Terrible threes and what causes it. Terrible Threes I really hope Josiah continues in his improving and I look forward to him turning four because that's when he can start being involved in sports and fun activities. This blog wasn't meant to scare future parents because even though your child is difficult they still bring so much joy to your life and it's so worth it. I would obviously do it all over again because I had another baby who is now 6 months old. Being a parent teaches you what real love is. There are times when mothers need emotional support and here's a good site that helps mothers in need of support. Help for Mommies Being a mom is like being on a roller coaster ride of emotions ranging from Great to not so great, but most moms will tell you they wouldn't change a thing about motherhood or their child. Good luck for all future parents!