The Myth of the Terrible Twos

There is no such thing as the Terrible Twos.  

I should know; today is the last day of my second son’s twos.  I braced myself for a tough year ahead when Max turned two and was relieved when he hit three with no major problems.  Jack is a much more spirited child, so my husband and I gritted our teeth as he blew out his candles last year, but all that fret and worry ended up being for nothing. 

Sure, there were moments of frustration and a few tantrums, but it wasn’t unmanageable by any means.  We delighted in our children’s third trips around the sun.  Their personalities shined and they developed the ability to communicate their thoughts and even jokes!  Although there were moments when what they wanted was unreasonable, that hearkened back to cries of infancy when a baby wants everything and nothing at once.  During the twos, children are still young enough to be distracted and move past their emotions.

I’m not sure if this is true of all children.  I certainly have been a mom long enough to understand that different families have different experiences, but I want moms of younger children to relax as their kiddos approach the BIG 2.  

They could be terrific, just like ours!