Yesterday my daughter turned 18 months old. Even though she hasn't hit the age on the number yet, I think we are officially in the "terrible two's" stage. That is not to imply in any way that she is terrible. However, she has become much more strong willed, and her happiness from moment to moment seems to be hanging by a thread.
Over the first 17 months of her life she may have just been extremely happy and easy going. Either that or we were way too easy on her and let her get away with whatever she wanted. She has learned the word "No" and she loves to use it, but hates to hear it. For a tiny person that has no knowledge of how the human brain operates she has an uncanny ability to manipulate it. Her skills might have something to do with her adorable face, but I think there is also an innate understanding of human emotion that she uses as effectively as those sweet puppy-dog eyes.
The next year of our lives are going to be interesting for sure. She is so much fun. You never know what she is going to do or come up with next. The entire experience of watching her grow and learn is amazing. She can count to 5 on her own. She knows a lot of her colors and can identify them and match them correctly. She thinks she knows the words to every song and sings along no matter what. She is taking in the world and you can see her trying to process everything. It is truly remarkable.
For the first time as a parent I feel like I can really screw things up. In the past, I could fail to secure a diaper tightly and have a mess to clean up. That is minor. That is fixable. Now I feel like I could fail in guiding her to be a good person... a respectful child... a courteous member of society. I want to give her everything in the world. I want her to always be happy. I want her to be humble. I want her to be mindful. Every parent struggles with balancing on the continuum between friend and disciplinarian. I'm just starting to find my footing.
