Terrible two? Not!

Just yesterday Caroline was a baby now she's 2! Before she turned two, the first thing I noticed was she gradually stops sucking her fingers. She started sucking her ring and pinkie fingers since she was three months old baby; this habit comforts her to sleep. We were concern that if this prolonged it may cause dental problem; not to mention it hurt her and causes big callous on her fingers. I am glad she stops on her own; same with bottle feeding – she wean herself.

Before Caroline turn 2 years old, people keep saying she’s entering the world of terrible two’s. And whenever I read about 2 years old toddlers, most resources mention about this stage. So I can’t help but wonder how terrible will she end up be? Will she change from a sweet, agreeable, smiling angel that we know to a little-horrible-screaming-monster? So many questions playing in my mind…

Our little tot turned 2 (2 months ago)! Her physical, mental and emotional growth is phenomenal. Her language skills had improved overtime. It’s like she takes a great leaps since she turned two. Of course she has her time, (believe me she does!) but she never throws a tantrum to the point that she screams and cry uncontrollably – NEVER! When she can’t get what she likes, most of the time she’ll just sulk and cry quietly. Funny because whenever she did something wrong and I raised my voice she will run to her daddy, hid her face on his legs – then vice versa. Sometimes she will just stand in front of me bow her head and cover her face, other times she will throw herself on the pillows or her stuff toys and sobs quietly.

Caroline is always this “ms little good girl”. She’s always this smiley, fun loving, and agreeable little girl. She does things that made us happy, that engaged our attention. She loves being praise, so most of the time we made it a point to notice every little thing she does and boost her up. Like they said, even though these children were born with unique personality, their early experiences are profoundly develope by their physical states and by their environment – primarily their parents.

Gradually though an irresistible urge to make her own choices well up inside her. An exciting development! But the difficulty of her making her own decision is she has to disagree with us in order for it to be her own choice. Simple things like what to wear, what to eat, what to watch, when to play, when to sleep and etc… And because we easily object and say No to what she do, opposed to what we like –she learned to do and say the same thing! She instinctively learned or wants to do opposite to what we expect. But it is terrible? NO.

What we do is give her a choice; we ask what she likes to watch, to wear, or to eat. That way she’s making her own decision. She doesn’t need to cry, to scream, or throw a tantrum just to get what she like. In the end she understands that there are certain things she can have or do and the other way around..

For me “terrible two’s” just meant that our little one is going to a developmental phase not a detrimental change. Wherein they try to make their own decisions opposite to us (parents). Imagine the first year of their life; we’re on the same sync and suddenly it all changes. They learn to make choices and refuse to do things our way and learn to say No! At times they can’t control their selves but we need to understand them.