You’ve likely heard the phrase “terrible twos,” which is pretty self-explanatory. Well, now, the world of parenting has another term: “threenager.” So, if you thought your biggest problems would be in the teenage years, think again. Toddlers are just like teenagers, but with even less sense of self.
Here’s a fun story for you. I’m at Target with both of my sons alone. My oldest, who was three at the time, needed new pants. He was completely disinterested in making that easy for me, but he did see a shirt with his favorite character on it that he wanted. As any good mom would do, I decided that I would bribe him with buying that shirt if he would try on pants. It didn’t work. In fact, it actually pissed him off even more. He ran away from me, screaming at the top of his lungs while I chased him around the store with his one-year-old brother in tow.
After what seemed like an hour (probably closer to 10 minutes) of trying to talk sense into this maniac of a child, I was sweating and teary eyed, and we left the store without anything. I got home and told my husband everything. He hugged me and said, “Sorry that happened, but you’re a good mom.”
That support meant the world to me in that moment. All of this is to say that you may not actually survive the threenage years if you aren’t supporting one another. Consider yourself warned.