Many of us have heard of this thing called "Terrible-Two's." This refers to the awful stage in a child's life where the sweet innocence of a baby turns into a destructive two-year-old. Parents of all walks of life have their terrifying stories to tell. These stories range anywhere from their child coloring on the walls, to cutting their hair into seven different layers. Every parent has one or more stories about their kid, no child is perfect. This is not something to be avoided, but the questions to ask are, "How long does this stage last?" "How bad is my child going to be?" and "What can I do as a parent?" This is an area where I myself am asking for help and cool parenting tips. For those of you reading this who know me, know that I am not a parent and I am not planning on being a parent any time soon. I ask only because of my sweet, precious perfect little goddaughter Elizabeth. My two year old goddaughter, Isn't she pretty? She belongs to my older brother and sister-in-law. When we found out that they were pregnant (with their second child) no one was more excited than I was. I was going to love that baby more than anything. When they told me it was a girl, I was happy to finally have a little girl I could smother. With some unexpected job opportunities, they were leaving to Michigan and she would be born in Michigan. The day before they left was the day of my 18th birthday, and for my present my brother and sister-in-law woke me up extra early to give me my birthday present. They told me I was going to be her godmother, I started to cry. Not only was I going to be a big part in this little girl's life but I was going to be like her third parent. When I Met her in Michigan from there on out I was buying her gifts and making everything I could for her. I was also planning out my trip to be there when she was born. It was around midterms and while should have been studying I booked my flight. There were some delays. My best friend was getting married on October 4th, and Elizabeth decided to come a week earlier than expected. I got the news on the 3rd that my sister-in-law was going into labor and although I wanted to be there I had to fly out the next week and see her. My two year old goddaughterIsn't she pretty? She belongs to my older brother and sister-in-law. When we found out that they were pregnant (with their second child) no one was more excited than I was. I was going to love that baby more than anything. When they told me it was a girl, I was happy to finally have a little girl I could smother. With some unexpected job opportunities, they were leaving to Michigan and she would be born in Michigan. The day before they left was the day of my 18th birthday, and for my present my brother and sister-in-law woke me up extra early to give me my birthday present. They told me I was going to be her godmother, I started to cry. Not only was I going to be a big part in this little girl's life but I was going to be like her third parent. When I Met her in Michigan from there on out I was buying her gifts and making everything I could for her. I was also planning out my trip to be there when she was born. It was around midterms and while should have been studying I booked my flight. There were some delays. My best friend was getting married on October 4th, and Elizabeth decided to come a week earlier than expected. I got the news on the 3rd that my sister-in-law was going into labor and although I wanted to be there I had to fly out the next week and see her. When I arrived and was able to see her, I fell in love instantly. I had always loved children and had many little one's in my life, but she was now mine. I hadn't told my brother but since I was younger I always wanted to name my daughter Eliza-Beth (split into her first and middle name) but recently I have decided to have all boys (because it's my choice, duh!) so in some ways she's the little girl I always dreamed of. We celebrated her second birthday last week and it was a blast. It was Hello Kitty themed and I could not believe how much time has gone by. It seemed like yesterday I was on a plane to meet her and here she is running around like a crazy toddler. I love her to death and my life changed when she came into the world. I couldn't imagine living without her.
Due to some recent changes she will now be living with my family and I. Which brings me to my concern of the Terrible- Two's. Overall she is a good little girl but is already showing traits of trouble. I have had to break out of her blue eyed spell, my parents on the other hand, have not. She uses her charm more than anything to get away with whatever she wants. She doesn't scream or throw fits (only when she fights with her brother) but she is already becoming more and more manipulative everyday. She will ask me for candy (she's at the two-word stage in her development) and after I explain to her that she cannot have candy until she eats her food, she goes and asks my father for candy. Not knowing (usually) that I had just told her she cannot have candy, he will give her a piece or two just to show her he loves her. After this she will then come back over to me and show off the candy she has. Another time she kept asking to go swimming, we have a built in pool but always make sure the kids are out there with an adult (look into getting a pool gate if you have younger kids) and I was with her home alone. She was desperately asking to go swimming and I would tell her "you're not going right right now." She is no longer taking no for an answer so she replied "Yes, Am!" and we battled for a little while. After this she was then crying and ran out of my room and laid on the couch 'fake crying'. I was not going to let her think she could win, I then went over, picked her up off the couch and held her gently. I told her to look at me in the face and I explained "Nina is finishing some work, after I am done we will go swimming, so for now you can watch cartoons until I say." She quickly wiped away her 'fake tears' and smiled saying "Yo Gabba Gabba" which is her favorite show of all time. She watched two episodes and then we went for a swim. I won the battle, but I am scared I will not win the war. I know this is only the beginning, and I will not let her become a child I cannot take out in public. It is so hard dealing with toddlers, and then again this one isn't technically mine. If you are a parent or someone who interacts with children what are some tips and tricks you have learned? I would Love to know!
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AuthorReggie is a college gradute with a degree in English. She loves traveling and hopes to one day stay on the battle field for missions. Life is a book and everyday is an adventure, follow her on this journey and see the world through her eyes. Archives
November 2017
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