Dear Oliver – The Terrible Twos
You are now two years old and fully engulfed by what is known as “the Terrible Twos.” It’s because of your growing independence and it is a normal, healthy developmental phase.
You are realizing that you are a separate individual and need to test boundaries. Your receptive language (what you understand) is much greater than your expressive language (what you can say). In other words, you know what you want to say, but don’t yet have the vocabulary to say it. And you occasionally seem to experience sensory overload, perhaps overwhelmed by hunger, fatigue, or overstimulation. That is probably why I am seeing some defiance (an increase in your fondness for the word "NO!"), impulsive actions (throwing things), and temper tantrums (crying, kicking, screaming).
The good news is that we are going to figure out how to navigate the Terrible Twos together. I will continue to enjoy our time together walking around the block with you pulling your green plastic wagon, reading your favorite books to you (mostly about trains, trucks, and dinosaurs), and helping you splash around in the Avondale neighborhood pool. Your favorite words are “outside”, “airplane”, and “wee-woo” (any vehicle with a siren). I love the way you punctuate the end of our sentences by attempting to repeat the last word back to us. It is often unrecognizable but getting better by the day. And you are now using words and word combinations that surprise me. Recently, on our walk to the pool, you pointed to a car in a driveway and said, “car,” (which was no surprise) followed by, “blue car” (which was). When I excitedly confirmed, “that’s right, blue car,” you surprised me again with, “blue car, driveway.” I’d never heard you say, “driveway.”
Our time together is precious—an old guy who forgets why he came into the room, and a child who is learning the name of the objects in the room. I think we make a pretty good team with me helping you learn how to talk, and you inspiring me to watch what I say. I am so glad you are part of my life.
Happy Birthday little buddy!