Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Terrible Two's??

Here is the scene:

I'm at Zack's daycare. There is a mom. She is on the playground with her son. She picks him up off of the toy he is ridding and tells him it is time to go. He begins to cry and tries to climb back on the toy. So she picks him up.

It doesn't go well. She has a diaper bag in one hand and the child is screaming bloody murder and squirming and flailing. Finally she has him in sort of a football hold as she is trying to get him to the car.

To get to said car, she has to carry him through the daycare and out the front door. The entire time he is screaming as if he is being tortured and flailing about. Finally she makes it to the front door. By this point all the other parents are staring and shaking their heads. Glad it isn't them. That today they don't have "that child."

At the front door he wiggles free and she almost drops him. She sets him down to open the door and juggle the diaper bag. He bolts back towards the play ground. She grabs him again and he is still screaming and flailing about. FINALLY she gets to her car.

She puts him in the car seat and practically has to sit on him to get him buckled in. He is still screaming and has his back arched so that every time she gets one arm in a strap he turns the opposite way and it comes out. Finally, she gets both arms in and he is buckled in.

As the back door to her jeep slams I am jolted from my trance watching her into the realization that I'm not watching this. I'm living this.

Hi, my name is Heather and I am now the mother of "that child."

Yet they wonder why I laughed when the nurse asked me at his 15 month appointment if he had started with the temper tantrums yet.

Do you think it's too early to call it the terrible two's??

8 comments:

KK's Mom said...

Nope - not too early. In fact, I'd say he's right on track. KK's "twos" started right around 15 months - and they just keep elevating. I wouldn't trade it for the world though; she is definitely teaching me a lot about myself and I'm becoming a much more patient person. Most of the time, anyway. : )

Yarian said...

I hate to be the bringer of bad news but it's only the beginning. I thought that with both of my children three was worse then two. Now were in a whole new phase of life the school age years and the bad habits that come with it. Hang in there you'll get through it.

Anonymous said...

Oh my.

darkship said...

I'll bear a bit more bad news...... my almost eight year old still acts that way!! Npt all the time but enough to make me want to hog tie him when it's time to go!!

OMH said...

LOL - welcome to Motherhood - the cute little baby boy will some day be the Daddy of a cute little baby boy and you will know there is justice in this world!

Hang in there - I agree that three was worse than 2, but 4 they seem to understand more of the quietly whispered threats or the bribes in softly spoken in their ears if they will just save the tantrum until you are out of the public eye.

Anonymous said...

FYI, The terrible two's start at about 18 months and last for about 6 months. Then you'll have 6 months on and 6 months off of the terribles. It's all good.

Tink said...

My little brother had the terrible threes. And by that time he was big enough to really hurt with his well aimed kicks and punches. Oy.

Aunt Becky said...

*sighs*

You could be talking about both of my kids.

*sighs*

You're not alone, darlin'.