Sunday
Jan152012
What Toddlers Can Teach Us
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Today I'm welcoming fellow Ottawa-blogger Rebecca from A Little Bit of Momsense for the last guest post of the Carnival of Toddlers with her thoughts about the toddler years.
I think the toddler years have an unfair reputation.
Everyone speaks about the ‘terrible twos’ and threes with great stress and I get it. It’s an age where our children are a cross between extremely needy and fighting for their own independence. One day they insist on doing everything themselves and the next they revert into baby-like states to get our help and attention.
But really, the toddler years for us have been more than tantrums and trouble. They’ve been a time of joy and fun. Their imagination is running wild and they are amused by the most simple of things. I can remember my son rolling a potato around the room and chasing it. A potato!
Their spirit is sharp and joyful – without the burden of school concerns, self consciousness or uncertainty. In all she does, my daughter takes a step without looking down, or back, only forward. I wish I could use this same ‘just do it’ attitude in my own life.
The toddler stage reminds me what it’s like to feel – everything is amplified, isn’t it? Sadness is a complete and emotional breakdown; toddlers are great at drama. But happiness is an eruption of love and pure euphoria that so many of us have lost.
Toddlers believe in everything, and most of all in us as parents. They are forgiving and loving unconditionally.
Our toddlers are bundles of confusion and frustration at times, but in all crying and tantrums, there are so many moments of fun and laughter and giggles. In these moments they teach us to love, feel and care.
*Side note: It took me 2 days to write this short post because my toddler was only wanting me to play various games including house and super heroes, then she got a cold and needed to be attached to me after a restless night of sleep. Only picking at my belly button seems to make her feel better. This, my friends, is parenting a toddler ;)
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Rebecca is a stay-at-home mom of two children 5 and under and is loving every minute of crafting, chasing and pretending to be imaginary characters. She blogs about life and parenting at A Little Bit of Momsense, her love of food and recipe sharing at A Little Bit of Foodsense and social media, community and giving back at Sense and Community. Follow her on Twitterto chat about pretty much anything and everything.
Toddler Carnival Sponsor
Image credit: Mother and toddler by emerille on flickr.
I think the toddler years have an unfair reputation.
Everyone speaks about the ‘terrible twos’ and threes with great stress and I get it. It’s an age where our children are a cross between extremely needy and fighting for their own independence. One day they insist on doing everything themselves and the next they revert into baby-like states to get our help and attention.
But really, the toddler years for us have been more than tantrums and trouble. They’ve been a time of joy and fun. Their imagination is running wild and they are amused by the most simple of things. I can remember my son rolling a potato around the room and chasing it. A potato!
Their spirit is sharp and joyful – without the burden of school concerns, self consciousness or uncertainty. In all she does, my daughter takes a step without looking down, or back, only forward. I wish I could use this same ‘just do it’ attitude in my own life.
The toddler stage reminds me what it’s like to feel – everything is amplified, isn’t it? Sadness is a complete and emotional breakdown; toddlers are great at drama. But happiness is an eruption of love and pure euphoria that so many of us have lost.
Toddlers believe in everything, and most of all in us as parents. They are forgiving and loving unconditionally.
Our toddlers are bundles of confusion and frustration at times, but in all crying and tantrums, there are so many moments of fun and laughter and giggles. In these moments they teach us to love, feel and care.
*Side note: It took me 2 days to write this short post because my toddler was only wanting me to play various games including house and super heroes, then she got a cold and needed to be attached to me after a restless night of sleep. Only picking at my belly button seems to make her feel better. This, my friends, is parenting a toddler ;)
---
Rebecca is a stay-at-home mom of two children 5 and under and is loving every minute of crafting, chasing and pretending to be imaginary characters. She blogs about life and parenting at A Little Bit of Momsense, her love of food and recipe sharing at A Little Bit of Foodsense and social media, community and giving back at Sense and Community. Follow her on Twitterto chat about pretty much anything and everything. Toddler Carnival Sponsor
Image credit: Mother and toddler by emerille on flickr.
Reader Comments (20)
I'm a SAHM with two girls three and under. Every word of what you say is so true, and thankfully so! Though there are emotion filled tantrums and stubborness, there is also dozens of kisses and hugs. When the girls want to play or spend time cuddled up watching a movie, it's genuine. There's nothing that toddlers do that isn't genuine. We spend so much time as adults surpressing our emotions I'm sure there is something we can learn from these uninhibited little creatures!
I love your point of view! I have twin toddlers and with all the drama, there is a lot of joy, and seeing them experience new things and have fun makes my heart full.
I love the toddler age group, it is so rewarding. The imagination, the wonderful play, the working things out about their world. Toddlers DO believe in everything and that makes them magical in my opinion.
[...] honoured to be guest posting on Annie’s site for the carnival. Please swing over and take a read to see why I think the toddler age is getting an unfair [...]
It might just be the luck of my daughter's temperament, but I haven't found age two to be terrible at all. There are lots of frustrations, but fun stuff far outweighs them.
I agree. When I was going through those tough years (although the tough part just evolves...never gets really "easy") I would remind myself, and my daughter, that every single day since my girls were born I have smiled and laughed...even on the hardest days.
I love this post so much. I shared it on FB. I think you have a great point of view about toddlers, one which I share. I really love this age. I do not love the meltdowns, but thankfully they're few & far between (so far), and they don't outweigh all the awesomeness of this phase.
Great article. How true! So much more than the "terrible"!
My son has a rather intense case of the 'terrible twos.'
But the joy, as intense as the tantrums. The magic. Yes.
It's all there.
Thank you so much for the reminder.
And for the belly button comment.
This morning my son and I walked to daycare using a sleigh. He was so thrilled, holding the sides, sliding on the snow. Saying (we speak French) en traîneau! en traîneau! Other mornings we take the bus and it's as exciting to him as a roller coaster ride. Last night I came home late, feeling terribly guilty and, when I opened the door, he said, happily: We're all home now. Yes. Hey, even vomitting, when he got sick a few weeks ago, is interesting to him. He still talks enthusiastically about it.
My 3-year-old is also a bellybutton picker. I swear sometimes that he lifts my shirt more now than he did when he was nursing.
[...] to write about my toddler lately in some guest posts. First, about how they can teach us over at Phd in Parenting, and now I have written about toddlers and emotions (and how I get confused by them!) as part of [...]
Thank you so much for this! We have a wonderfully fun and adventurous almost 2 year old. The sense of fun and pride he shows at even the smallest new skills accomplished or words learned brightens our days. Yes, there is the occasional frustration or tantrum, but it is far outweighed by the magic.
thanks for your comment - you are right that I think as adults we suppress so much and they simply express. Love that ;)
It's funny about the drama - it wasn't drama with my son when he was emotional, but with my daughter it's drama. Interesting waters...
I wonder when we lose that 'believing' mode. It's wonderful to want to believe in something I think
I think it's in those hardest days we have to remind ourselves (easier said than done sometimes!) Thanks Jen!
Enjoy it! I know each age brings something new and fun, but the innocence and joy of age 2/3 is pretty exciting
With my son and speech delays it was a communication issue that led to frustration. With my daughter at this age, it's her independence (and demands for it) that cause difficulty. Like yesterday when she wanted to walk in the icy parking lot not holding hands. But those moments do pass which is what I have to remind myself and there are fewer of those than of the laughs and smiles and hugs.
The belly button thing came about as I was weaning her, it replaced her comfort I think. And now she still insists when tired or falling asleep...
thank you! Their enthusiasm is contagious