Dear Every Mother of a Two Year Old…
Hang in there, mama! Hang in there!
I find almost every day I am having a pep talk with myself that this is just a season. Because this “season” some days feels like its going to kill me. Two years old, feels like the pressure cooker of seasons. They don’t call it the terrible twos for nothing! The tantrums are on a new level and kids are learning to talk and ask a million questions. Then let’s top it off with all the things we have to think about during this phase…. preparing for pre-school, potty training, switching to toddler beds and more! Ummm hello stress! All of these things are a lot on their own but roll them up together with toddler meltdowns and its enough to drive you to crazy town. Like I said I have to constantly tell myself it is just a season!
I think we should refer to this phase as the tornado twos. This age is magical in the sense of seeing more and more of our kids personalities come out. They are also still small enough to be so adorable that you will sometimes overlook the annoying thing they just did. You can feel their smallness slipping away each day and you want to hold on and then two seconds later you are slapped in the face with that tornado and you just need.the.day.to.freakin.end!
So if you are floating in this life raft with me… let’s do happy hour! Just kidding (kind of)! Let’s work on giving ourselves a little break. If you forget something, forgive yourself. If you can’t keep it all straight in your head, forgive yourself. If you feel like screaming and it’s only 10am, find a pillow and let it out! If you feel like crying because you are convinced you are failing, put those kids to bed, pour a glass of wine and let it all out. If you feel like you are drowning, ask for help. If you need a drink, don’t feel guilty, pour two. If you feel like the stress is aging your once flawless face, take 30 and go put on a mask. If you feel like you’ll never survive all the big milestones to come, you are not alone, and we will figure all of it out. One day at a time!
If you are the friend/family of someone with a two year old (or 2 two year olds in my case) give them a hug, send encouragement, take the kids to the park, bring wine, love and forgive them for the short term memory loss.
At the end of the day, know this… you’ve got this mama. You’re a fighter, a warrior and your kids are lucky to have a mom as invested as you. Savor the moments of joy that interrupt the chaos, because those moments are what make life worth living! You will make it through this season!
