We have all heard of the infamous Terrible Twos…but recently, I was introduced to what I’d like to call, the Terrible Twelve Months. That’s right…the kicking, screaming, face planting on the floor behavior that we associate with toddlers came early for us…and no, it’s not like Christmas. Marielle has started to voice her opinion on many things. While a lot of her vocalizations are positive, there are many that I could do without. She uses her voice quite loudly when she doesn’t want to eat something I put in front of her, arches her back and throws it on the floor. When I take away something she shouldn’t have (cell phones, a bug she found on the floor, or the puppy’s poor ear) she screams at the top of her lungs, throws herself to the ground face first and melts down. Oh hi. I’m sorry, did I miss your second birthday somehow? You aren’t supposed to be acting like this yet! Where is my sweet baby girl who ate whatever I put in front of her with a smile, gracefully handed over the cell phone when I said we were done, and was “gentle” with the puppy and kitty? I love you my dear, but I miss 11 month old Marielle sometimes 🙂
Luckily, in our ECFE class today, there were lots of other mamas with the same predicament, and I learned a lot from the second time moms. Apparently, this is very normal. The issue is that our little ones are TOO little to be able to express what they need with words. They know we respond to the screaming, yelling and flailing and know that we will do something about whatever it is that they need. We may not always know what they need, but at this point, we are just to react positively and calmly and work through the episode. I do wish that this was mentioned somewhere in those baby books…attention, What to Expect in the First Year…you should definitely add a chapter on this phase so we know it’s coming! I was definitely caught a little off guard the first time Marielle face planted herself on the floor. Thanks to all my wonderful ECFE moms who have older or second children for advice on how to manage this wonderful stage in my daughter’s life 🙂
The Simple Elements 