37 Months

"While visiting with a dear friend, she pointed to her almost 3YO and confided, “I don’t know what’s going on with her these days. She’s been sullen and withdrawn and doesn’t want to play with her toys or even her friends anymore. I’m worried she’s becoming introverted.” As a self-proclaimed expert in the field of introversion, I assured her that it wasn’t something her daughter could contract at preschool and then blow into a tissue. No, what her daughter had was far, far worse. She was coming down with a bad case of The Threes.

The Threes are a sneaky series of viruses that never fully work their way through the child’s system. They infect toddlers on-contact and have been found to re-infect children who were once thought recovered. The Threes can be hard to detect at first, however, because the only thing stronger than the viruses themselves, are the parents’ levels of denial. And like most of us, my friend was resistant."- Bad Mommy Moments

Oh boy, have I been in denial. A sweet friend of mine with a daughter 6 months older than Addi posted this article yesterday and I quickly read it and thought "OMG I am not alone!" It was like a light switch Addi's birthday weekend that made me wonder "Who is this child? Where did my little girl go?" Crying. I even blamed by parents for spoiling her. Then, it just didn't go away. Sorry, Nana and Poppy! I was wrong. I was so wrong.  My girl has got a bad case of the Threes.

Extra sensitive. Crying. Defiance. Selfishness. Tantrums. More punishments. Unkind words. Oy. I felt blindsided- everyone knows about the "terrible twos" but no one talks about the 3 year olds!  But just as quickly as the storm comes, the clouds roll out and the sun shines in. Brilliant, beautiful sunlight. Smiles. Hugs. Polite. Playing for hours with her sister. Singing. Dancing.  Today was one of those mornings! Amazing. It is what keeps you coming back for more and makes it all worth it. 

This is real parenting, people. Mess. Crazy. Silly. Laugh out loud or you're going to cry. Smile till your heart bursts. Nothing better in the world. Parenting. I don't want to rush the time we have together in hopes she'll move out of this phase. I think every age will have something to work through. I am working on accepting and enjoying all of the moments I have. They are important. Really important. They are going to shape who my girls become and what they remember of their childhood. That is HUGE! I want my kids to have what all parents what for their kids- unconditional love. Patience. Kindness. Faith-fullness. Joy. Peace. I definitely don't have these all the time (or even more than one at once for that matter) but it is worth working for. My girls deserve it. Even when we are knee deep in the threes! xoxo