When a Bad Word Comes Out of Your Mouth

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The transition into toddlerhood has been a little rough.  We are caught in the tension between being a baby and completely dependent to becoming an independent child.  One minute we're happy, the next we're anxious, then we're frustrated about something and throwing a tantrum.  The days can be tiring.  It's a constant balancing act, and last night we fell off the see-saw.

M didn't want to play with Daddy; instead he wanted to be held by Mommy while she frantically cooked dinner (part of it is my mistake for wanting to make basil and feta stuffed chicken breasts instead of the easy mac-n-cheese). Then M didn't want to eat.  Then he didn't want to play.  So I put him in my lap while I finished my dinner, and during a blink, he knocked my wine glass clear across the table.  Wine went everywhere - the walls, the floor, his high chair... I'd had it - a bad word came out of my mouth.  I couldn't stop it - it just escaped.  It was 7:00 and I was ready for bed.  After M was in bed, Zach and I just looked at each other and finished the cleanup.

The good news that I've discovered?  This phase is normal!  Toddlers have to figure out how to be independent and this is scary!  When I stop and look at the world from their perspective, I understand the behavior better.  Does that make it fun?  No, but it gives me more patience.  And the best news of all?  Today is a new day!  God's mercies are new every morning.  And the good times - the kisses, the hugs, the head on the shoulder, the giggles - are so good that they erase the rough times.

Comments

  1. CarolJanuary 17, 2012 at 12:51 PM

    I gotta admit, I'm loving this phase of your lives :) I've been where you're at!

    ReplyDelete
  2. CelesteJanuary 17, 2012 at 4:09 PM

    Oh, my!!! Been there!! It is frustrating and exhilerating at the same time. But, as you said this is normal and it will get better.

    ReplyDelete

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