Why are two year olds SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD????????
I think the "Terrible Twos" is the result of their natural curiosity, and of pushing the envelope to establish where the boundaries are. As they become more confident with their skills, they'll continue to push the boundaries to determine whether the boundaries are real or are due to their own limitations. We gave up attempting to childproof after S11 (#2) summarily defeated all of our attempts and was capable of undoing the protections faster than we could. Instead, we just moved stuff that was truely dangerous or had enough value that we'd be heartbroken if it got broken. Anything else was left out but was made off-limits through conditioning, usually penning the kid (timeout)if the off-limits item was touched. From that point on, we just set very firm boundaries with consistent penalties for crossing them. That philosophy served us well for the rest of the gang (especially when visiting places that were not childproofed). I wouldn't say two is necessarily any worse than later years. I think it is more that it is the first the child is pushing the bounds, so it can be a rude awakening to mom and dad. I think teen age years are certainly more challenging, but in a different way (and we are just starting them).
--GGB who is on par with God in the eyes of a 3 year old, but doesn't know squat in the eyes of a 14 year old.
You know, I am okay with the destruction of my home (of course I do not have boys so I know not what I am saying, right!) but I cannot tolerate the crying and screaming!
She drives us all crazy but boy is she funny.
And, yes, you are absolutely right about the boundaries. I am the one and only boundary setter around here. H is a great dad but is NO disciplinarian. I am totally responsible for making sure that my children are not spoiled brats--which they are not. However, he does a lot of childcare duties that I just do not have the energy for at nighttime (such as bath, putting pj's on, blah blah) and for that I am eternally grateful.
LittleBill, I just realized that I missed your post to me. Sorry about that.
My H got the article from a website called Catholic.org I don't know where it is on the site or any other pertinent info; sorry about that. If you are not Catholic, it may or may not be helpful to you.
Best of luck and if you need more information, I'd be glad to ask H or get the link from him.
FWIW, 90+% of the crying, whining and screaming is by D6. The boys get more mopey and belligerent. Based on my small sample set, I'd say that boys are easier.
I am still recovering from vertigo myself. It can be caused by low blood pressure, by dehydration, and also by a virus. In my case it was a virus, it infects the small tube in the ears that keeps your balance. It causes no symptoms of illness except for being dizzy. It can clear up on its own, or it can cause permanent vertigo. Mine has taken 3 weeks and I still have touches of it.
H is frequently dehydrated and it is one of the few things I "nag" him about..drink some water, H. Etc. The viral vertigo is also very intriguing and would explain why his seems to come and go a few times a year..
Glad to hear you are feeling better. He too was dizzy and nauseated...the spinning head feeling I had when in college and on my 12th beer too many.
I emailed him and asked him how he felt and true to form, he said he thinks he will be better tonight if he just gets some exercise. (this is his solution to every ailment known to man) But THEN he said that after he exercises he wants to ML tonight and that will really make sure he is at the top of his game! I was thrilled b/c he NEVER mentions anything sexual via his work email so I know he must be really thinking about it.
Now if the damn vertigo gets bad at 8:30 again tonight, you'll hear me screaming clear across the country.
I do like beer, but fortunately my tastes have evolved. Now I would gag on the warm and weak beer that I used to chug down with wild abandon in my youth.
In fact, I bought some homebrew supplies along with Homebrewing for Dummies shortly before I became pg with this child. I should have made the brew anyway so I would have a stash built up for after delivery, but I didn't have the heart to cook up a product that I wouldn't be able to indulge in for 9 months. So I will probably get involved with that this winter. My uncle has a thriving homebrew business in his basement and he has gotten really good at it over the years! His first batches were really awful but his latest efforts have been top notch. I am the only one who is allowed to taste his wares, as I am truly interested in the process and everyone else is just trying to score some free booze.
Brewing is a very worthy art form. I'm starting again after I get moved and the weather is a bit cooler. You can do it, Honey, just make sure that everything is scrupulously clean and sterile. Nothing like a good, chewy home brew, home made bread and good cheese to make an afternoon fly by with friends.
I had boys and they were not holy terrors at two but they did get moody and impossible about 13 for a few years. Now that they are in their 20's and out of the house, life is much calmer. They have commented how stupidly they were acting while there were in their "terrible teens." I thought that apology for their behavior might not come until their thirties.
Quote: You know, I am okay with the destruction of my home (of course I do not have boys so I know not what I am saying, right!) but I cannot tolerate the crying and screaming!
She drives us all crazy but boy is she funny.
Yeah, boys are fun that way, 'specially 2x4yr old boys... but when they were two, they would go through the crying bit, I used humor, asked them if they left their 'yeses' somewhere, the test was I would ask them 'Do you like chocolate?' 'Do you like Mommy', and if they were so upset that they answered 'NO!!' then we went searching for their 'yeses'. Usually got their mind off whatever was bothering them. Course it helped some times that I had two, I could play off the other one.
4 was a much worse age with the girls...they're much too smart to put up with silly mom...
