Laughing Toddler playing with colored pens making a mess

I Thought The Terrible Twos Weren’t So Bad: I Was WRONG

Hi there, mom friends. Remember me? I’m the one who wrote to tell you all about the not-so-terrible-two’s a few months ago. I’m back to apologize because…I LIED.

My sweet son has been replaced by an emotionally unstable sometimes monster.

Didn’t put the ketchup in the right compartment on his smiley face plate? I’m the worst. Tell him that he can’t stand on the kitchen table and swing from the lighting fixture six feet off the ground? Ooh boy—I’m skating on thin ice here.

God forbid I do not comply when the tiny terror starts screaming “Daniel! Daniel” (Tiger). Then I am treated to screaming, tears and fits better suited for, say, me when the liquor store runs out of wine. And let us not forget the most over-used word in the toddler language—a resounding, “NO”. This can be used any time, anywhere and generally speaking, 7200 times a day.

Ok, ok…they’re not all SO bad. Take for example when he holds his chubby arm out to me and says “Mama, come!” when he wants to play. Or when he learns a new skill and beams ear to ear, beyond proud of his independence. Or when he says “I ruv you”. Then I almost forget the terrible twos altogether.

They’re tough—I’m not going to lie. Some days I pray for the clock to hit six and my husband to get home from work. One day I even cried in the shower. As I type this now, I can hear my toddler screaming, probably because my husband did something horrible like try to wash his hair during bath time.

Here’s the thing. No matter how horrendous the terrible parts of the twos may be, they’re fleeting.

Because tiny terrors they may be, their moods change like the weather. So, while you might be THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD right this minute, in three minutes they’re going to love you like ranch dressing. And that, my dear toddler mama friend is what makes it all worthwhile. The hugs, sloppy kisses and the word “mama”. The kisses when they get an owie, the smile that can light up any room you walk in to. That’s when I know that I was meant for this gig—terrible and all.

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