Toddlers, let’s be real, they can be tiny terrorists. Am I right?! If you only have to say no once, then you have some type of super human genes and breed angels and all I can say is good for you! But for me, I’m not so lucky.
Some days are freaking hard. There are tantrums, tears, outbursts, violent moments of biting and hitting and times when you just want to lock yourself in the pantry and cry. I get it. I’ve been there. Shoot, I’m still there. It is rough out here for a momma.
And whoever said adjusting to life with a newborn has clearly never woken up to a toddler creepily staring at your face at 3am. Like, whoa…this is some horror movie stuff right there. It’s like they go from this sweet little cherub to Jekyll and Hyde overnight. The things my daughter loses it over blows my mind. Can’t go to the park in 110 degree heat means a full on 1o minute cry session. Not taking her to the mountains that are on fire equals screams and arguments the rest of the ride home from the grocery store. Forget suggesting she brush her hair because that turns into me trying to dodge tiny fists to the face.
But despite all of the nuclear moments toddlerhood can bring, I swear no one loves you the way a toddler loves you. When our kiddos were babies, they loved us because they have that instant bond, nurturing, I-just-grew-inside-your-body-for-nine-months kind of love. Toddler love is ever evolving. I genuinely feel a new level of connection and love from my daughter. She looks at me with these adoring eyes. She tells me ‘momma, I love you SOOOO much’. And she gives me all of the hugs and smooches as if it’s the first time she’s seen me in years.
You seriously can’t beat it. It’s an elating feeling. Even though I know in about 6 minutes, she’ll be screaming at me for giving her the wrong color fruit snacks, I know if I hold out for just a bit longer that she will come crawling up to me to say ‘I’m sorry mommy for being naughty’ and and give me the biggest squeezer hug ever.
It’s hard to understand the ebbs and flows of toddler emotions. When I’m feeling defeated from a long day of trying to reason with my tiny human, I just remind myself; no one loves you like a toddler!
