OT: For Those With Toddlers

[Cafe MichelleP]

12 Reasons the Terrible 2s Are Actually Terrific

Posted by Michele Zipp

When my twins turned 2, I braced myself. I thought this was going to be it. The time that breaks me. When my kids test every possible limit I thought I had. Where the days end without much to eat, tantrum after tantrum, and a puddle of tears -- all my own.

Maybe it's all going to come crashing down when they turn 3, maybe I'm just thankful I have two littles who do cause chaos -- the most beautiful chaos I've ever known. But the terrible 2s have so far been terrific. Yes, there were things I feared about having a 2-year-old and those things did happen, but there are so many more amazing things going on, too. Here are 12 reasons the terrible 2s are anything but.

1. They learn how to say I love you. And when you hear them say it, it's feels like your heart is the brightest rainbow with a unicorn dancing over it trailing a cloud of flowers.
2. Sometimes, they start missing you when you leave. Of course you don't want your child to cry when you leave the house, but there is a sweetness when you know they miss you -- that they love you THAT much that they want you and only you. Gah! Pass the tissues!
3. But sometimes, they don't even notice that you left. Or they adapt very quickly. Which helps with that guilty feeling that we sometimes get. Which makes it easier to have a little me-time.
4. They talk! Their communication skills start increasing all through the 2s so you how they are feeling without having to guess and you can have actual conversations.
5. They say hilarious things. My daughter busted out with "ABCDEFG spells constipation" the other day.
6. They are no longer wobbly on their feet, which means you don't have to freak out every time they move. And thank goodness because all those soft-foam edge protectors you have all over the house are now being picked off by those little hands.
7. It's one of the most adorable things to watch them pretend play. Watching my son tuck the baby doll into her own bed and then go to the play kitchen to make cookies is better than watching The Bachelorette. And I love my Bachelorette.
8. They sing! The ABCs (without the constipation part) are always fun but my daughter knows a lot of the words to Baby Beluga and we harmonize off-key so beautifully.
9. They make art! Yes sometimes it's doodles on the walls but that's what washable crayons are for! Plus, the kids' artwork looks much better on the fridge than those ironic magnets you bought before you were a parent.
10. You are now free to act like a 2-year-old and giggle and tickle anytime and the house can erupt in adorable fits of laughter. How joyful is that?!
11. Most of the cutest kid dancing videos out there are when the child is in the 2s. Now you can make your own!
12. Two-year-olds are still small enough to still carry but not too small to walk. The options are there and it always brings a smile to my face when my daughter asks me to wear her as a backpack.

 What is your favorite thing about the "terrible 2s"?

[new_mom808]

 I loved the twos. (The threes proved more challenging) It was the sponatnious, sincere hugs that got me. <3

[aj23]

Twos were easy. My son was the sweetest little guy at 2. Three was rough but not too bad. Four make me consider commiting myself to an instution more than once just so I could get a break lol
I seriously think whoever started calling it the terrible twos never had a 3 or 4 year old.

[TerriC]

When dd1 was 2 dd2 was turning 1 within days. So, I barely remember! Lol

[Xandriasmommy]

I loved the twos. They were a cake walk. We're only 6 weeks into 4 years and I'm going nuts!!

Quoting aj23:

Twos were easy. My son was the sweetest little guy at 2. Three was rough but not too bad. Four make me consider commiting myself to an instution more than once just so I could get a break lol

I seriously think whoever started calling it the terrible twos never had a 3 or 4 year old.

[aj23]

Mine turned 5 last month and its like a switch flipped. He still has his days but for the most part I have my child back and not the wild beast that has replaced him for the past 2 years lol

Quoting Xandriasmommy:

I loved the twos. They were a cake walk. We're only 6 weeks into 4 years and I'm going nuts!!

Quoting aj23:

Twos were easy. My son was the sweetest little guy at 2. Three was rough but not too bad. Four make me consider commiting myself to an instution more than once just so I could get a break lol

I seriously think whoever started calling it the terrible twos never had a 3 or 4 year old.

[Vertical15]

The threes are the terrbile ones for my kids, it seems!

My 2yo just said I love you for the first time last week.  He only said it twice but it was like heaven.  It was at bedtime.  He hasn't said it again since.  I'm holding my breath waiting to hear it again!

[PrincessZ20]

I was just thinking about this yesterday!  DS2 is 2 and just so much fun.  He's learning to talk and express himself, but not able to do much back talking yet, and his little personality is exploding all over the place! I think 2 might be one of my favorite ages. 

On the other hand, DS1 is 5, lol, and he tries my patience worse than the 2 year old, lol.

[PrincessZ20]

Quoting Vertical15:

The threes are the terrbile ones for my kids, it seems!

My 2yo just said I love you for the first time last week.  He only said it twice but it was like heaven.  It was at bedtime.  He hasn't said it again since.  I'm holding my breath waiting to hear it again!

Aaaw, so sweet!

I agree, I think 3 was harder than 2!

[egyptian_mommy]

I agree that 2 is easier than the preschool years. My oldest is 5 and some days I wonder how I'm still sane.

[batjmom]

I loved the 2s it was the trying 3s that were harder