On the threshold of terrible yet terrific twos my twenty month year old toddler touches EVERYTHING. Physically, his mobility astounds me: climbing up our bed, using his baby walk toy as a ladder to reach the T.V remotes and opening our hall closet to push suitcases down the hall. Verbally, he effectively asks for food (oranges, berries, veggie straws, cheese), toys(legos, trucks, rocks, sticks, stuffed doggie, and stickers) and his favorite activities (come, sit, look at pictures, and go for a walk or to the park). The growth physically and verbally delights me yet the accompanying tantrums depletes me! Oh on days when his momma stops him from eating chapstick or running with scissors and he thrashes on the floor in a crying protest, I literally walk out of the room to calm my own frustrated demeanor! Two illustrations of how my son reached the terrible yet terrific twos at twenty something months: 1. The let-go my Legos 2. The Thanksgiving fiasco
1. Let- Go-My-Legos: My little man inherited a vast bigger sized Lego set with blocks, animals, plants, trucks and people from his mother. He mostly likes to dump out his Legos out of the neatly organized buckets onto the floor. One Saturday as I started to pick up the clanking pieces of endless plastic skewed across our living room carpet, my husband like a real parent put his foot down. “Matthew Stewart you help your mother clean up your mess now or no walk!” What ensured for the next 30 minutes included tears, strong tones, minutes strapped in the timeout chair, and me vacating the room several times to avoid caving in to his cries. Since that little battle, we’ve consistently insisted he clean up his toys rewarding him kisses, praises and truck stickers (of course). So goodbye simple baby stage, time to start forming our son into a responsible and caring kid!
2. Thanksgiving Fiasco: Our sweet little family of three (with my dad) traveled over the river and through the woods on a three hour sojourn to my grandmother’s house in Knoxville Tennessee. Since in her ailing state she could not venture to Atlanta we hauled our baby gear (diaper, high chair, pack-in-play) up to her. Now, my grandmother lives in beautiful modern home designed by my grandfather: the most accessible place to my toddler’s curious fingers who opens every door and cabinet! Thomas and I spent the entire time hovering, like the helicopter parents we are not, over our very mobile tot to keep him out of mischief. The climax of the whole ordinal occurred when my COVID-19 conscience cousin insisted that we eat outside (though he, his wife and one year old came inside to chat and play unmasked for a good half hour, but I digress). My grandmother owns a lovely pool covered for the winter. My son likes to explore and discover trampoline like surfaces. He, and his mother soon enjoyed an unexpected semi- swim in Arctic waters after his momma paused for a moment to sip badly needed wine. Needless to say, “home sweet home” is our newest traveling motto!
Oh yes, the growing demands of my toddler weighs and wonders me. Such a sweet exhaustion as I wade through tantrum tears and giggle through puddles ;as I gasp as Matthew’s jumps on our bed and sigh as he snuggled next to me; as I desire to sit down for a minute and delight in chasing the trash truck around our neighborhood.
Oh as you mom littles, may your moments be defined by the sweet serenity in between the stressful strains. Your motherhood, your marriage, even your own self is defined by your highs not your lows. Your truest self is seen as you hike and overlook the view at them top of the mountain. Though so much easier to lay down in the valley, lay in the valley, we yearn to climb, to grow, to reach that summit of a fully-realized child into adult.
, to grow, to reach that summit of a fully-realized child into adult.
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