Terrible Twos...At Age One

I was so blessed to have you, Connor, because you were SUCH an easy baby. Most people, especially your MeMe, couldn’t believe that a rotten kid like me would grow up and give birth to a happy, easy-going child. Like a “textbook” baby (according to The Baby Whisperer), you only cried when you were hungry or hurt. Everyone who met you was amazed by your laidback nature. You never experienced stranger anxiety (everyone was your buddy!) and you always took everything in stride.

So imagine my surprise when you turned 1 and all of a sudden you were becoming whiny, fussy, and strong-willed! (Ah, so maybe you’re the child my mother said I deserved after all!) I couldn’t figure out if it was the pain from your molars (they started coming in around that time), ear trouble, or just pure frustration on your part. We tried to help you learn sign language to ease the communication barrier. But even during a June 2007 visit from your MeMe and Grandaddy, they noticed that you seemed to be entering the “Terrible Twos” a little early!

With the transition to your sippy cup, you seemed to get pretty ticked off easily. One of your favorite toys was the computer mouse, and we often had to take it away from you because you would bang it so hard that it might break. But as soon as we admonished you or took something away from you, you were a mad little boy!

One of the funniest things to see was “precious, laidback Connor” throwing his little temper tantrums! You started doing this soon after you turned 1. When you got mad, you would throw yourself down on your butt and whip your head forward towards the floor as you cried and screamed. Every once in a while you would throw your head forward so forcefully that you would actually hit your head on the floor! One day I got a call from the daycare that you had thrown your temper tantrum and gotten a carpet burn on your head – ha! I hope one of these days that I’m lucky enough to catch it on video!

Through all of this, the phrase “Terrible Twos” struck me as odd when in reality, the “Terrible Twos” start so much sooner than age 2. But a co-worker of mine made it all clear for me when he said, “No, the phrase ‘Terrible Twos’ really refers to a terrible two year period that begins at age 1 and continues until age 3.” Ah-ha! Now THAT makes sense!