The Joys of Toddlerhood Part 2

A few weeks back I posted my first blog about the 'Joys of Toddlerhood' and hope to make it somewhat of a series that I can use as a way to vent my frustrations of toddlerhood, but also look back and enjoy reading all the fun times with my child.

Toddlerhood is here to stay, complete with all the bumps and bruises that go with it. My little guy got his first scrapes on his elbow the other day. From what, I have no idea. I should say that I am not a bad parent, for not knowing when my kid gets hurt, but I have one tough kid! He will take a spill like Steve-O from Jackass and will barely make a peep. He was blessed with my husband's non-dramatic personality, so he usually stays pretty calm even when he has hurt himself.

Each day he becomes more and more aware of his surroundings. He will point at the sky and yell "Bird" when he hears the birds. He loves to play with earthworms and watch the frogs jump in our pond. (We have tried to catch a frog, but they are way too fast for us!) He experienced his first run through the sprinkler the other day. He has always been a kid that loves water, but I soon quickly found out that he is not a fan of the sprinkler's ice cold water for a long period of time.

Though I talk about my son as if he is some sort of angel, he is not. One thing that has come with toddler years is the whining. The constant, non-stop, daily whining.

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It's enough to make a woman go insane and it really tests my patience, I am sure the whining is his form of communication until he develops more words. I notice his whining is worse when he is tired and hungry, so usually I will try to subside him with food or sleep. However, on occasion, it seems like he just likes to walk around an whine. I guess that is just one of the fun parts of having toddler. My husband and I have decided that whining is a bad habit and to adopt a "No Whining" policy.

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Even though it is hard to really enact forms of discipline, the phrase "No whining" probably comes out of my mouth about 50 times a day. After one warning, we do the "That's One" count down to a time out. (As instructed by the 1-2-3 Magic Discipline Book.) Some people might think it's mean to do timeouts on a 17 month old, but with our son we can tell he knows the difference between right and wrong and it's a good way to reinforce it.

After talking to my older sister, she says the whining battle is a battle you will fight for the years to come. She still sometimes has to remind her kids (now 9 and 6) that they need to quit whining. Right now, I feel like my son mainly whines as a way to communicate and also get attention. (Much like the fake coughing he does.)  No matter the reason for the whining, it will not be tolerated this house. Or at least we will do the most we can to prevent it. I am sure it's just one of the many fun things that comes with the toddler years!

To end this post on a happy note, my son has learned the word "No". Now I think many parents cringe at the thought of their child learning "No" but I have found it quite hilarious. My child has decided that right before he is going to do something naughty he will repeat to himself "no, no, no." It's a great warning for me and it also shows me, even more, that a toddler can understand so much more than they can communicate.

So for now, we will make it through these whining times and cherish the times when hearing "no" makes me laugh. Parenting isn't for the weak, but I think in the end all the bad times will outweigh the good and it's good for me to remember to keep my cool.

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