It's tough being two - Suburban Shalom

“A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.”

~ Jerry Seinfeld

I think Jerry sums it up pretty well.

For us at least, two seems to be a very complex age. Two is fun. Cute, affectionate, verbal, playful, curious, energetic.

And, the two-year old vocabulary is so fun. Currently, my favorite word is “to-Mario” (tomorrow).

But, two is also very trying. Unpredictable, unreasonable, passionate, demanding.

Two is when we start having an opinion about everything. We want fruit snacks for breakfast. We are devastated when we are denied and throw ourselves out on the floor over the injustice of it all. Our dress strap won’t stay up, so we remove our entire dress at dinner {the Toddler really did this at a restaurant at the beach a few weeks ago}. We don’t want to get in the car seat at the appointed time, so we arch our back and stiffen our legs until a consequence is realized or an agreement is negotiated. We are fiercely independent, dangerously determined, and wildly messy.

For all three girls, two has been an intense year.

Even playtime can be complicated. Here’s an example from earlier this week… First the Toddler wants a baby doll. Then she needs a diaper and wipes {real ones, of course}. Then, she demands a latex glove so she can change the baby following state guidelines as she has seen it done at church and mother’s day out. Then, she gets furious because her wipes get stuck. Then, her baby has its head turned the wrong direction and it. is. over.

I have a parenting book that I bought when the Preschooler was about two, and one of the tips it reinforces throughout the book {in reference to toddlers} is “Avoid problem situations.”

Well, that’s great advice. And, I know there are certain places like candy/toy stores, nice restaurants, the grocery store at nap time, etc. that are obvious trouble spots. The thing is, though, I’ve found that our home is often a “problem situation.”

Last night I found her applying a hair product called “Ever Curl” all over her arms. Liberally. As soon as I saw it and realized what was going on I yelled, “Oh, no! What are you doing??”

And, she very calmly replied while continuing to rub it in, “I don’t want to get sunburned.”

Well, of course she doesn’t.

In that moment it doesn’t matter to her that A) the product is a curl enhancer and not a form of sun protection and B) it is 8 PM and we are all getting ready for bed, not the beach. All she’s interested in doing is starting what she finished. And, I’m merely distracting her from that mission.

It’s just complicated.

But, … I look back at pictures and remember the older two girls at this exact age.

And, I realize how quickly this season passes. 2009 seems like yesterday.

While I rarely think of this in the midst of our daily grind, I’ve got to remember that two ~ with all its ups and downs ~ is a fleeting age.

And, as Dr. Seuss observed, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

No matter how volatile. No matter if the person is two but thinks she is ten. Still a person. With a lot of passion. A good bit of spunk. And, a lot of love.

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