He doesn't walk. Those kids in the distance? They walk. One even took his sweet time doing it, but eventually, he became upright. This one? He doesn't play by the rules. Sure, walking is easier. Yes, it's more efficient. It's definitely socially acceptable, but who cares about these things anyway? Certainly not Beckett.
We're sneaking up on 15 months with this little rugrat. He has succeeded in turning our world upside-down, inside-out and we wouldn't trade it for anything. But lord knows this kid is contrary. And daring. Walking seems out of the question, but climbing, exploring and generally getting into trouble is his middle name. We thought it was James, but it's not. It's just not.
We are getting to experience what having a young toddler (or stubborn crawler over the age of one) is all about. Ben never trifled where he wasn't supposed to. He was a quiet observer. We didn't have to babyproof our house, really. He knew of a little thing called boundaries and respected them at all times. Beckett, not so much. We are not the boss of him. My new world consists of catching him as he's about to fall down mine shafts and grabbing power tools out of his hands just as he's ready to find the on switch. He is very curious. Also, I was kidding about the power tools.
Coincidentally, we are also not the boss of this guy:
The terrible threes have nothing on the terrible twos. I read something very accurate about three recently. Three is two with intent. Amen. My sweet, special little blond man has turned into the king of NO. He doesn't want to do anything we suggest. Even if he agrees to it, the word that comes out of his mouth is NO. He alternates this with "bye-bye" to add a touch of adorable to his insubordination.
Us: "Ben, let's go to bed."
Ben: "NO BED! Bye-bye, bed!"
Us: ...
Any suggestions? Yelling at him is ineffective. Asking him to comply over and over is pointless. Bribing him does work sometimes, but I don't think this chapter is in any of the parenting books. We do use brute force. Going back to the bed example, if he doesn't feel like going, we put him in it ourselves. Over and over again until he gets tired and falls asleep. If he doesn't want to take a bath, it'll take two of us, but we make sure he gets clean one way or another. After a battle, we remind him that we are bigger and smarter and we will always win, and to just throw the white flag now to save us a lot of energy in the future. Surprising, I know, but he just won't listen. I'm reading a book right now called 1-2-3-Magic and it will supposedly help with my parent-of-the-year techniques. Wish me luck!
But just as they are challenging, they are equally as adorable. They are two peas in a pod. Yin and Yang. Peanut butter and jelly. My guys look out for each other. When I put them in time out in the dog cage, they cuddle. Just kidding. But they do hang out in the dog cage. Voluntarily. This is them shutting the door to keep Mommy (and the dog) out.
You have to love these two. Even when they are yelling NO and engaging in risky behavior. It all comes with the boy territory. And their age. This too shall pass, right? Right?!
