Terrible Twos Meet New Baby Blues!

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lisa

They’re HEEEERE (or at least I think they are)….the “Terribile Twos!” I’m sure every parent can relate to this post (and every non-parent has heard of them!).

It might be hard to believe that THIS little “angel” can in fact, sometimes act like a little devil!

I posted an interesting article on Twitter a few weeks ago about the apparent Terrible Twos versus the Terrible Threes.  In all my new parent naivety, I had only heard of the terrible “TWOS” because no one has ever seemed to speak about the terrible threes, or apparently (as some friends have enlightened me) the terrible FOURS!  As long as we’re talking about being “terrible” at a certain age, could we not assume that all children have the capacity of being “terrible” at ANY age??  Personally, If I think back on my adolescence (say around 16 years old), I DEFINITELY went through a “terrible” phase (but that’s another blog post!).

People have asked me how my son has been adjusting to the new addition to the family.  For the last month, I’ve reiterated the fact that “he has been adjusting quite well.”  He often calls for “baby”, brings me her bottle and bib when it’s time to eat, rocks her in the bassinet (under my supervision of course), gives here kisses, etc.

The reality is that since the initial fog of sleepless nights and physical exhaustion (due to my cesarean) of recovery has lifted, I’ve come to the conclusion that it was all a front (or maybe I was just in denial!).  As much as I hate to admit it…I think my 20 month old son has regressed!  He has become very needy, destructive (that’ll be another blog post!) way too interested in opening doors/drawers/toilet seat/etc and he’s learned what I call the dreaded “arm flail” (you know, when they whine and flap their wings hands like a wounded bird?!).

I understand he doesn’t mean to be “terrible”, he just needs attention.  I make it a point to constantly show him affection and attention (and not just when my daughter is sleeping!).  The problem is that when I do need to ignore him rely on his independence to keep himself busy, nothing seems to entertain him for longer than five minutes (which then means he gets bored and up to no good!).

I’ve heard time and time again from parents, ”When my son/daughter was 20 months old he/she LOVED…!”  Well, I’ve bought (and invented) more than enough toys and activities to make one of Santa’s elves proud!

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my house is now a playground!

My son does have some favourites (which have succeeded in entertaining him for longer stretches of time, although rare!) such as;

This Melissa and Doug puzzle (I’m not sure if it’s the puzzle that he loves or the fact that he is obsessed with sea creatures right now!)

Legos 

This Chad Valley play kitchen (which has been the best $40 investment yet!) 

He LOVES his kitchen! He literally “cooks” the food, adds salt and pepper, then brings it over to the couch to “eat” or offers some to mom and dad!

We might have the next world class chef (Anthony Bourdain, maybe?!) on our hands!

As any parent will tell you, this phase will too pass.  For now, I need to surrender myself to the fact that I cannot possibly know WHEN, but that it WILL, that is, until the next “terrible” phase rears its ugly head!

From your experience, which “terrible” phase is the most challenging? 

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