Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Terrible Two’s


Preparing for my daughter’s second birthday causes me to sit back and reflect on the dreaded phrase for many parents – “the terrible two’s.”

My firstborn never ceases to surprise me. Counting to ten, trying to speak in complete sentences and proudly singing her ABC’s, her constant mental development and comprehension makes me smile from ear to ear.

On the other hand, some of her actions make me shake my head and wonder if she actually came from my womb.

For several months now, her favorite word seems to be a defiant, “No!” On occasion, her no’s turn playful. I might tell her to put on her shoes so we can head out the door, and she’ll take off running and giggling while saying “No,” in a sing-song voice. But I absolutely love it when I ask her for a kiss, and she’ll sheepishly and verbally deny me, while leaning towards me with cute little puckered lips.

Despite being almost the youngest person in the house, she tends to think she has the authority to discipline her younger sister, me and my husband. If I reprimand her for something, she’ll say, “No mama; not nice!” And more often than not, she’ll let Talia know she doesn’t approve of her actions. For instance, Nandi loves to place her head on Talia’s lap or talk to Talia with their faces literally less than two inches apart. And Talia, being a baby still lacking in the area of hand and eye coordination, will hit Nandi in the face with her tiny fist. Nandi will then hit her baby sister’s hand saying, “No Talia. No hit; not nice!”

Then there are times when Nandi will take the high road by carrying herself like a little lady. This past weekend, we visited my aunt, and her grandson happened to be over. He has a toy fire truck that’s big enough to ride on. Well, Nandi wanted to ride it, but she looked at me to see if it was okay. I let her know that it was, and she had a blast. A few moments went by and Derrick felt it was time for Nandi to hop off of his toy truck. He wobbled over to Nandi on unsteady legs (he’s just over a year old) and pushed her in the chest. At first she looked at him, and I thought, “Oh no, here comes the wrestling smack-down event!” Instead of retaliating, Nandi reached out with open arms and gave him a hug. Giggling, he hugged her back and allowed her to continue playing on his truck.

Little people are so entertaining, and it’s so easy to get wrapped up in their innocence. Those are just a couple of reasons why I enjoy being a Mother of two. Seeing them grow before my eyes is nothing short of amazing. They make each and every day worth living and enjoying to the fullest.

Chandra Caradine is a Sr. Public Relations Specialist for Texas Health Resources and Mom to almost-two-year-old Nandi and four-month-old Talia.
 

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