What happened to my sweet baby boy? Did someone sneak into my house and give him a personality transplant while I wasn’t looking? Suddenly, Siler’s as stubborn as a mule and will throw a temper tantrum worthy of an Oscar if he’s told he can’t do something that he has his mind set on doing.

Yes, the terrible twos have invaded my household. It’s a lot like having a sweet, cuddly Gizmo for 22 months and watching him turn into a Gremlin overnight. Maybe if I hadn’t  given him a bath, fed him after midnight and exposed him to the excessive flashes of light from my camera when he was an infant, we could have avoided this phase.

Big brother and sister have taken notice of the terrible twos, as well. Suddenly, their little bro is fighting back. Siler won’t tolerate being pushed around and having toys yanked from his hand anymore without consequences for such offenses. At times, the consequence is a swift slap upside the head or chunking a toy their direction. Needless to say, I spend more time in the role of referee, breaking up fights and negotiating peace deals. I’ll admit that the first smack or two his siblings probably deserved for months of railroading right over Siler. It’s tough being the baby of the family, but please don’t tell my younger brother I said that. Firstborns like me enjoy making the younger siblings, especially the baby of the family, feel like they got it easier than we did.

Siler has the “Just Say No” campaign thriving at home. I hear that word about a hundred or more times a day.  I can only pray that he’ll be this adament about saying “no” to things when he’s a teenager. The amusing thing is Siler  likes to say “no” so much that he’ll say it to any question you ask….even if he really means to say “yes.”  He provides endless entertainment to my neighbor’s kids who enjoy drilling him with questions just so they can laugh about what he’ll say “no” to on any given day.  He’s like a pint-sized version of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. If I could only teach him to say “No soup for you,” he’d be a You Tube sensation!

Oh, why must kids sprout an attitude? I guess it’s all about growing up, testing boundaries and learning. That’s what the books say anyway. However, it’s hard to appreciate boundary testing as a learning opportunity when your toddler is face down on the floor crying at the top of his lungs, especially when other people witness the show. Stares and the occasional sarcastic or conscending comments from others can make the situation even more unbearable for a parent.

Motherhood has made me far less judgemental of other parents because even the best child will have meltdown moments. I used to see a child throwing a tantrum and think the parent had lost all control. While that may be the case at times, but I also think some of those moms deserve a pat on the shoulder and some encouragement. I now know that often the parent of the tantrum throwing child is control. They’re not taking the easy way out and giving in to the demands of their wailing child  just to shut them up. They’re teaching them a lesson….that life isn’t always about  you. You can’t always get what you want when you want it. The problem is you’re probably not there to see what happens after the tantrum when that little voice whispers “I  sorry, Mommy.” Then suddenly my sweet little boy is back.

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