The toddler years are one of the most interesting, rewarding and very very entertaining years if I say so myself. My daughter is about half way through three years, and I realized the other day that my toddler is 3 going on 13. Its so interesting how she is becoming more and more herself, and has really morphed into a little lady. Previous to having my own child I had heard of the terrible twos, and was a little scared to see what that phase would be like as a mother but, I recently learnt that the terrible twos ain’t nothing compared to the Threenage year. If you are like me and just hearing of this toddler phase don’t worry I will be sure to fill you in. I have compiled a list of three popular traits you will notice if they are dealing with a threenager.
- Overly Independent – I bet you are thinking oh but at age two my toddler was already independent, well yes you are correct but when you have a threenager just think of their independence going to about a level 2000. My toddler wants to do it all on her own, and when I tell her no then it becomes a fight filled with the most dramatic tantrums.
- Nap time? ummm ya that doesn’t exist – No seriously nap time is a fight now because as a threenager your toddler is officially grown, and as we all know when you are grown you don’t need kiddie naps.
- Attitude, Attitude, Attitude – Yes just like a teenager, your threenager is full of the sass, fingers wagging and hands on waist sass. My threenager knows it all, and definitely tells me just like it is lol
She really wanted to wear that darn vest, even in the blazing 80 degree weather smh. |
I will be honest there have been days that I have been ready to ship my toddler off but, one thing I have learnt in my little time being a parent is if your toddler doesn’t make things a little hard on you then what fun is it having a toddler (lol). I am definitely no perfect mom and I haven’t exactly mastered this parenting thing (not that you ever really do anyway) but I thought I would share some tips I have learnt to make the job and getting through this phase in my toddler’s life just a little easier.
- Drinking is key (lol) ok totally kidding, but you have to learn that you were here before your child came around and you can’t completely lose yourself just because you are a parent now. This was so hard for me to grasp, and honestly its still hard some days for me to come to terms with. I have gotten so used to having this person in my life, that I barely ever take time for myself anymore. No I am not saying you should be out partying it up each day, and put yourself first all the time but its a balancing act. You have to learn that yes your child is very important and you will have to make lots of sacrifices most times but, you still have to take time for you. Make alone time, even if its only for a few hours a week.
- Remember to breathe! There have been countless amount of times that I wanted to lose my marbles and couldn’t take my toddler any more, but I am learning to take a minute and breathe because if I react to every little thing she does then I won’t make it. I think that is when I am able to laugh at her silly butt. I believe kids were brought into our crazy adult lives so we can laugh because we tend to be a little too serious anyway.
- Don’t be so hard on yourself, I have learnt that kids will be kids and yes you are going to have the days when you go in public, and that is when your toddler wants to have a full blown tantrum because you don’t want to buy that candy for her at Walmart. And yes, you will get the stares because clearly its’ only your kid that has these types of moments in life. And yes, in that moment is when you will start to wonder where you have gone wrong as a mother, and as badly as you want regulate on her arse, you gotta act right and continue to do the look but, clearly toddlers know nothing about that. Anyway my point is just know that you are an awesome mom, your toddler will test you and will try to get away with as much as they can because yes that is what toddlers do and just because you saw that other 3year old that was so well behaved at dinner with their parents and your kid is a total spaz and can’t seat still for one minute doesn’t mean you have failed as a parent. It just means your kid has way more personality and a lot more entertaining.
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