Raising a Toddler Boy

I wrote this at the request of a friend who now has a 13 month old running wild around the house lol. Toddlers are a whole new animal. I'm not attempting to dissect them and study them, merely to shed light on the struggle lol.

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a child expert, psychologist,therapist, guru or anything of the like. I am simply a young, first-time, single mommy who is driven nuts at frequent intervals by her 2.5 year old son named Liam.


What I have Learned about Toddlerhood:

1) It's NOT infancy. Gone are the days of the docile, sweet smiling baby you birthed. Long gone! lol They ain't coming back baby. We must now deal with this animal called the Toddlersaurus lol

2) Your child is forming his identity apart from you. He will rebel against you, but this is normal. "No" will become his favorite word and some days you will be his arch nemesis. These are just growing pains :).

3) What has been his favorite food for the previous year will now be something he throws, pushes away and/or spits at you. This too is normal. Ex: Liam used to love, love, love cheese. Now he won't touch the stuff...but he does actually eat burssel sprouts..hmmm lol

4) Some days he'll be as easy Sunday morning. He will smile when you wake him up, help you get him dressed for the day and even put on his coat...but the other half of the week, you will have to fight him, console him, coddle him, beg him and force him into submission as you struggle to leave the house on time

5) It is unpredictable! I wake up almost every day to a different boy...but that's the fun part..right? RIGHT?

6) I know my son loves me. Now "Mommy" and "Mama" are staple words in our house. I hold up a picture of us and he points and i.d.s me as Mommy. It makes my heart melt. He smiles his devilish grin at me. He pulls me back into bed to cuddle with me and cradle my face. He misses me when I'm gone. Apparently I am just as important to him as he is to me.

7) It does get easier. One day at a time and as he grows and matures, I feel better about the decision I make in his life.

8) Discipline. It is necessary! Or that kid will steam roll right over your ass. In true Black/Latino fashion we use a plastic spatula to ward off any bad behavior. All we have to do is wield this small instrument and all you see are baby buns running in the opposite direction. It's quite entertaining actually lol. Collectively me, Mom and Dad use time out, spatula and menacing looks. This seems to work quite effectively.

9) Male presence is important. So although Father of the Year is not really in the picture, Liam has my Grandpa and my Dad to compensate for the lack of testosterone. Makes me feel better that these 2 positive males are in his life.

10) This stage won't last forever and while I whine, gripe, stress and complain. When the 2s,3s,4s are gone, I'm going to miss the little man he used to be.

So rest assured if you can relate to this post, you are certainly doing something right! Raising kids is no small task. Raising kids as a young, single mother can be HELL! But it's worth it. My son is worth it. This life that I'm making for us is certainly worth it.