As A Parent

Have you ever wondered if you might lose your ever loving mind?

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I walked around inwardly smug for many months thinking...we missed the "terrible twos." Oh my, was I wrong. Let's just call Saela a "late bloomer." We are walking amidst a battlefield of tantrums and mood swings. (Steve says she's just like me. When he says this I just look around and say, "are you talking to me?") One minute - you might think the world has come to an end - the next our dear daughter is sweetly singing the "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday..." song (which she learned on a Monday - so consequently, everyday is "Monday all day long.") No longer do we have a daily "whine" episode- we now have an hourly whine festivus. "I don't want it, NO, don't do that, mmm mmmmm, I want to wook in the pantry, I want to wook for something to eat, I don't want those crackers, I want these crackers, NO, I don't want those jammies, I don't want to take a bath, Asher go first, weave me alone, I'm tired (this is said in the morning prior to school), I'm not tired - I don't want to go to bed, Daddy take me, Mommy take me, more milk (is that how we ask for things?)...PUWEASE..." "Calgon, take me away" takes on new meaning for me.

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As I sit and write this, I can't help but smile just a little. Even though, at times, I do feel at my wits end - most of the time I can barely keep myself from busting out laughing when she is at her worst. When we ask if she wants a timeout - she usually marches herself to her timeout spot. (Does this make timeout less effective? Probably...) Then, when we are playing later, she will line up her baby dolls and look at me with the most deadpan expression and say, "they are not listening right now and need to be in time out." Perhaps this means just a small bit of learning is happening in that developing brain of hers?!?

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Yes, these are trying times...but so worth the struggle to have her give you hugs, say I wove you very much and then bust out with "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt...NA NA NA NA NA." Gotta love her don't ya!