"I WANT TO BE TWO!!!" That's what Zeke has taken to screaming the last two weeks. "You are two." I always insisted, sometimes reassuringly, sometimes with a great sigh, sometimes with clenched teeth and hands, trying with all my might not to shake him. It never helped but in this stage of "terrible two tantrums" I feel like I have to at least try to reason with him, even though I know there really isn't a point.
Tantrums aren't really Zeke's thing, usually, so they have really caught us off guard. I decided that the uptick in screaming (or should I say downtick in emotional control?) was directly related to not napping anymore and so the last two days Zeke has taken a nap again. It has helped. A lot. Apparently he becomes a completely different person when he is tired...an unhinged and possibly dangerous person. I can't blame him too much. He gets it from me.
And so today he was caught up in his sleep again and I had my old Zeke back. The one that stays up too late at night and sings "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" from Aristocats in his bed for a half hour but hey, not one screaming episode all day. Plus he finally explained to me this afternoon what the heck he's talking about when he says that he wants to be two.
"Like a not-a-baby. Like a good boy with no screaming."
After this revelation he ran off to take Claudia for a walk (he likes to leash her and then make her follow him all around our yard), and I sat a bit stunned, and a bit humbled. Right in the middle of his hour-long tantrums he was screaming at the top of his lungs that he didn't want to be screaming? It puts a whole new perspective on my son, so awash with emotion right now, but trying so very hard.
Being two is hard.
1 comment:
I always felt that the 2 year old tantrums were similar to our (women's) emotions when we get going and can't turn it off- especially when pregnant! I remember times when Jay was asking me, why are you crying? And I would be crying too hard to tell him that I didn't know, but was just so overwhelmed about something and everything.
2 is hard. 3 is hard too, but they're learning ways to deal with it and words to explain. And easier when I remember that they're really not enjoying the screaming fits either.
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