Reasons Why

Reasons why I love age 3.

Reason 1: This afternoon my 3 year old went on the potty and when she finished, she looked in the toilet and said, “Look at that little guy.  Hi, little guy...aren’t you so cute,” waving her little pointer finger at the poop.  When she flushed it away, she waved her hand and said, “Bye cutie pie.”   I mean??!!  I nearly peed my pants.  She can be so funny and cute and sweet.   Such a pleasure to be around!   

Reason 2:  My daughter is obsessed with time right now.  She is always asking what time it is and how long something lasts.  Particularly, she talks about clocks.  But, when she talks about it, she doesn’t enunciate the letter L in the word so it sounds like, “C_OCKS.”.  This morning we had a 5 minute conversation about “clocks.”  She said, “I don’t like clocks.”  And, “everyone has clocks, right mommy?!”  “There is a clock in this room and that room too, right?”   She went on and on and on.  Imagine how that sounded to me?!  I was in hysterics.   And, she laughed so hard because I laughed so hard.  We were buddies.  We were laughing together about an inside joke that she will never know about (at least until she is 18).  Nonetheless, it was the funnies thing EVER!

Reasons why I don’t love age 3.

Reason 1:  Yesterday, I had a few friends over for a small playgroup.  My 3 year old daughter threw one tantrum after another.  I was a little embarrassed with her behavior, to be honest.  She wanted me to push her on the swings and when I couldn’t, she cried.  She didn’t want to share her toys and when I made her share, she cried.  She didn’t want to go in the basement, she wanted to go outside and when we didn’t, she cried.  OH MY GOD!  For the love of everything human…..

Reason 2:  Last week, we went to visit my family in Michigan.  When we got to the security check point at the airport, my daughter would NOT give up her backpack to put through the scanner.  Would not!!!  When I took it off her back, she threw herself to the floor and spun around on her back.  Everyone around was staring at our misfortune with pissed off looks on their faces.  We were holding up the line.  HOLY CRAP!  Is this a joke??!

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Reasons why I love age 1

Reason 1:  We got home from Michigan on Sunday evening and I was so tired on Monday.  When my 1 year old woke up from her nap, I put her next to me on the couch and we snuggled for 20 minutes.  She put her head on my head and it was so sweet and cozy.  She patted me on the head and I really believe there is nothing better in the whole wide world.  I drifted off a little bit here and there and for a moment our house was quiet and at peace.  She was loving and gentle and beyond her year… 

Reason 2, 3, and 4: She is toddling around holding her belly.  She is walking everywhere and loving life.  When we were on the plane, she wanted to look at the window and see the clouds.  She is so curious.  She points to everything, gives me books to read to her, and laughs when my 3 year old does something funny.  She babbles.  She hugs and kisses.  She waves to strangers.  Bliss.

Reasons why I don’t love age 1

Reason 1:  She always wants to be moving, so it was pretty much a nightmare on the plane to Michigan.  She was throwing herself around, screaming, and carrying on.  She was tired but didn’t want to go to sleep.  She was throwing her head back and hitting it on the side of the plane.  Out of control!!!!!  We were those people.  We got the looks and we deserved it!  1 hour and 15 minutes literally felt like 4 LONG, SLOW HOURS!  WOW!

Reason 2:  Yesterday at playgroup, she was also off her game.  She wanted me to hold her at nearly every second.  She would cry when I would put her down, cranky from her afternoon nap.  If my 3 year old would cry, so would she.  It was like a one hour living nightmare and you cannot reason with a one year old.  No way.  Sometimes, there is nothing you can do.  Sometimes, your luck just runs out of steam and you are slowly chugging along trying to find a millisecond of peace while the babies are screaming, “CHOO CHOO!!!” 

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…And chug along we will.  Because, I know there are highs and lows to everything.  There are good points and bad points.  Ups and downs.  Sometimes everything goes completely right and you feel like there is no problem at all.  Life is good.  And then there are times that everything seems out of control.  My head is spinning and I’m waiting, waiting, waiting for something to change and relieve me.

But, I think I can handle it. 

After all, I know that soon enough, everything will go right again.  I know my girls will laugh and giggle again soon.  I know they will do cute things to make up for it.  They will hug me tight.  I know it is never that bad!  We have to take the good with the bad and realize that sometimes, it is just their age dictating their behavior (and us).  :) 

But, it is ok.  I mean, just this afternoon we were all dancing in the kitchen to Britney Spears, singing along, and shaking our hips.  My 1 year old did her first twirl and we all clapped for her.  She smiled big and bright and my 3 year old threw her head back in laughter.  That moment, I knew that this one reason was better than every tantrum and fit, because it a reason why I love being a mom.