Picture this: a frazzled looking mom juggling groceries in one hand, diaper bag in the other, desperately trying to hold onto the hand of a screaming toddler who has half their body flailing on the ground and the other half clawing at the mothers grip. And then an old lady appears from the shadows sharing that age old phrase with warning in their voice "Uh-oh! The terrible two's. Good luck!" and she walks away as quickly as she came, leaving them in the middle of the grocery isle.
I mean, this is what two's are all about, right? Two is terrible tantrums and ear piercing screams! Two is "mine mine mine!" and "no no no!" Two is awful. But is it? Two is HARD, yes. These precious beings are growing into their independence, learning how to navigate language, exploring boundaries. They have big feelings in a little body, and they are processing so much.
If you expect two's to be terrible, they probably will be.
My son Henry will be two years old next month, and honestly I'm not scared. I'm not afraid of how I'm going to handle that famous age everyone has been warning me about. I am EXCITED for two!
My mom is a wonderful and warm human being. When I was growing up all I ever heard about the two's was how much my mom GUSHED over them. When each of us (4 children) were two years old she would scoop us up, showering us with hugs and call us her "terrific two's". Because yes, two is hard.
But two is magical.
Two is full of wonder.
Exploration.
Experiments.
Little details.
Wildflowers.
Rocks.
Mud.
Running in the rain.
Smiles that reach all the way up to their ears.
Giggles deep in their bellies.
Two is hard.
They yell.
They learn anger.
They learn to hit.
They learn "no!"
They learn that they are a person too.
They learn to whisper.
They learn to hug so tight you think your heart will explode.
They learn love.
Two is hard.
But two is glorious.
Two is beautiful.
Two is fun.
Two is silly.
Two is terrific.
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