Just this morning, Lil E posed perfectly as the poster child for being 2-1/2. As we packed his bag full of snacks for a grandma-grandson playdate with two other families, he held up his soccer ball proudly. "Mommy!" he exclaimed, "I so excited to share my soccer ball with the o'er boys!" And then in a flash, his whole face changed and he pulled the ball protectively close to his chest. "Mommy!" he whined, "I'm a-scared of the o'er boys!"
You might recognize this scenario as the I love scrambled eggs!/I hate scrambled eggs!, cuddle me, Mommy!/Mommy, sit waaaay over there!, I want to wear bog boy undewear!/Put my diaper on now!, Yes!/No!/I change my mind! phenomenon of parenting a kid who is hard at work individuating. Knowing that this is a developmental stage doesn't necessarily make the outbursts any easier. Righ then and there, getting through an afternoon with a tantruming, irrational toddler can feel more like hostage negotiating than parenting.
Karen from Troll Baby feels the heat too, and she's put words to what ain't so pretty about those very real, very exhausting moments. There's a swarm of good comments that don't necessarily provide a ticket out of toddler hell, but are a good reminder that we're not stuck down there alone. Or forever.
