Toddler Behavior: Ready for 4
Submitted by
Doug Borsch
Let me get the usual stuff out of the way first. I adore my 3½-year-old so deeply it makes me weep.
OK. Let's move on.
I hate this age. It's baby impulses with big-boy attitude. It's realizing that whining works to get what you need. It's discovering the power of manipulation. It's saying "No!" over and over and over again.
It's pooping your big-boy pants after months of being potty trained, just to show how upset you feel. It's "I DO IT!" for every single activity. It's learning that you can piss off your brother with one little action, then exploit it for days on end. It's losing your favorite car and asking where it is for one hour straight, no matter how many times Daddy says, "I don't know!"
It's frigging exhausting.
Riley, my 6-year-old, is figuring out life. When he's tagged out in T-ball, I see him work hard not to cry (even though he fails sometimes). He's trying, and he understands the power of controlling his emotions.
But not my 3-year-old. Oh, no. Pure id. Impulse. Response. Action. Desire.
Help! I'm so ready for 4. I know it ends, but I don't feel that it ends. But it does end, right?
Submit!
