~~Terrible~~ Terrific twos

We've all gotten comments, when out with our babies in public: "Enjoy every minute, they grow so fast!" Many times these comments come before the child can even sleep through the night, and sometimes they come on a day when you're one kid-tantrum away from having one yourself. With my first child, I took these well meaning strangers very seriously, and felt pretty guilty when I realized I wasn't particularly enjoying a certain moment with my son.With my second child, I had long since learned to take these comments with a grain of salt. The well-meaning strangers are generally people whose children are now adults, and they've forgotten how exhausting parenting can be.My second child wasn't as easy as an infant as her older brother. She was very clingy - I couldn't put her down for a second. I got nothing done, and I couldn't leave her with anyone. She also refused to take a bottle, so I never got a break.Then, things changed. She started solid food. She began to walk and talk. After a year of very tearful drop-off moments at our gym's babysitting program, she actually began to enjoy it.She is a delightful human being. She is sweet, she is funny. She is sensitive. She is very shy until you get to know her - seriously get to know her (she didn't talk to her caregivers at the gym for about 9 months). She is very obedient - I never put her in a situation where she could hurt herself, but I also trust her completely to do as I say. If she needs to be corrected, she takes it very seriously (even the gentlest correction brings tears) and never repeats the offense. The is extremely gentle with animals. She is observant and sympathetic of other people's emotions. ("That baby is crying, Mommy. Aww, baby, don't be sad!")The "terrible twos" has such a bad reputation. And, I know two year olds are all different - and as a whole they are a stubborn bunch whose job it is to test our patience. But they say and do the funniest things. They have a very literal take on the world. In my eyes, there is no cuter age during childhood.This year of my daughter's life, I can honestly say that I enjoy every moment. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2NCQCUz