Terrible Two’s? Puh-lease! But What About Those Tiresome Three’s And Frustrating Fours?

Let’s rewind roughly 4 years and 9 months.

We would go an visit the few friends that we had with children and when I got home I was so broody that I almost cried (OK, I did cry), I use to sit and imagine what it would be like to have my very own babies one day.  I pictured snuggly baby cuddles, sweet newborn perfume, holding tiny fingers and playing games like peekaboo and seeing their little dimpled cheeks grin at me with no teeth.  And then the Lord blessed me in abundance with 3 beautifully perfect babies that I got to experience all those things with.  I can’t tell you how absolutely grateful I am to have been able to have this experience.  I really and truly am.

But honestly there are a couple of things that you just aren’t told about as a non parent.  In fact I could write you a long list of all of those things, but maybe that’s for another post entirely.  What I actually want to focus on is how unprepared I was for this whole talking back thing.

You see, I knew that there is this time in a toddlers life called the “terrible two’s”.  I knew this because it was whispered among mother’s in gatherings that I had been to, they said it with wide eyed fear and a trembling in their voice.  So without them knowing it, I was prepared.  Prepared to face the worst that these two year old terrors could throw at me.  But they didn’t.  They were gorgeous, and cute, and beautiful, and funny (most of the time).  Not at all what I had prepared myself for.

So I let my guard down.

And believe me, they noticed.  But they are tactical, skilled beings – they planned their forth coming terror with care.  At first it was a few tantrums every now and then (OK, those were hectic but still, they weren’t often).  Then it was some fighting back and saying “NO” every now and then.  But it was always isolated events.  Never together.  Always one child super well behaved while the other lost their minds in the background.

But like I said…  They were planning it.  Taunting me with this thought that “the worst was over”.

Because it wasn’t.  And it’s not.

At the moment, everything is a fight.  Everything.  With both of them.

Put on your clothes – No.  Put on your shoes – No.  Come here – No.  Go there – No.  Eat this – No.  Do that – No.  Here have some chocolate – Yes OK.  Great now that I have your attention, put on your shoes – No.

Kyla is the one that was absolutely defiant in pretty much everything for the last couple of months, but with there only being 10 days until Riya’s 3rd birthday she is closely following suite.  And what makes it even more unbearable is that they are plotting together, gong crazy together, being defiant together.

I’m going slightly mad.

But then I found this and I was like.  That’s right.  That’s flipping right.

So hold on to your pants girls, you don’t know what’s about to hit you today.  (Not literally.  But only because that doesn’t work.)