Janus

Ah, the joys of toddlerhood.

While some of it is wonderful—I mean, I just marvel at him when I see his wheels turning and figuring out the world around him so quickly. Babies really are geniuses when you think of just how much they have to learn in such a short time. And he’s recently discovered the joys of puzzles, crayons, and nature walks (where every. Thing. Must. Be. Touched!). We walk around and he points and calls out names to everything, waiting for us to agree or correct. Or watching him discover the wonders of the“Treasure Chest” we have in the dining room (a wooden box filled with Mardi Gras beads, dubloons, and assorted other fabulous treasures). And I love those times.

But then there are other times.
The “I don’t want to eat, because I feel the need to control things and so will do so by rejecting all food today (or anything but meat. Or anything that’s warm. Or whatever I feel today)” days.

The “I’ve decided that rather than asking for things, I shall simply shriek in your face to get what I want” days.

The “I shall tantrum every 10 minutes because you simply aren’t complying quick enough” days (which usually accompany the “shriek in your face” days because I don’t respond to shrieking).

Or the “I shall not sleep, because there is simply too much to discover so I shall quickly become very touchy and grumpy” days.

These are times I could do without. I know that they are necessary and part of his development. He NEEDS to assert independence and control as part of forming his sense of “self”. And our little guy is doing it a touch on the early side, but still very normal. But it doesn’t help the poor tired parents we are who simply want him to eat so he can grow up healthy and are quickly going deaf (really, not joking about the deafness).