“What if he stays a little monster forever?” my partner laments as we drive home with our thrashing, wailing three-year-old buckled into the back seat. “It’s just a phase,” I tell myself, though doubt creeps in. This is our first child, and I have no frame of reference to reassure me that he won’t remain the raging, angry, tantrum-throwing tyrant he has become over the past month.
What had changed? Our sweet baby was nowhere to be found. We had successfully navigated the so-called terrible twos, expecting smooth sailing until adolescence. Clearly, the person who coined that term had never experienced the tumult of a three-year-old.
My son, Leo, had his moments at two, but nothing prepared me for what erupted just one week after his third birthday. During a hurried trip to Target, Leo was strapped into the cart, becoming increasingly agitated as we waited in a painfully slow checkout line. His wiggling and whining quickly escalated, and I refused to let him out, unaware that my defiance would only fuel his fury.
Just as the cashier began scanning our items, the floodgates opened. “MOTHER FUCKER! MOTHER FUCKER! MOTHER FUCKER!” he shrieked, his sweet little voice filled with a torrent of profanity. I stood frozen, shocked by the sheer audacity of his words. Where on earth did he learn such language? Definitely not from me! The stares from other shoppers were unbearable.
Amidst my panic, I noticed the teenage cashier chuckling at our chaotic scene. As a high school teacher, I couldn’t help but confront her: “You find this funny? A three-year-old is screaming profanity to manipulate his mother! You’re setting a bad example.” I realized my frustration may have been misdirected, but I was at my wit’s end.
The Target incident was soon overshadowed by another clash with my three-year-old daughter, Mia, who threw a tantrum because her new shoes didn’t fit. “I WANT THEM! I WANT THEM!” she screamed. I explained the situation, but her thrashing and wailing only intensified.
For ten exhausting minutes, I wrestled to get her sparkle shoes on while keeping one eye on the clock. I foolishly forgot to factor in a tantrum buffer. “I CAN DO IT! GET AWAY FROM ME!” she yelled, kicking and flailing. My patience wore thin as I struggled to reason with a small tornado of emotion.
Finally, I reached my breaking point. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME, MIA! I have to get to work!” I shouted, shoving the shoes onto her feet as she kicked and screamed. Picture this: it’s 6:15 a.m. on a cold winter morning, and I’m wrestling a squirming 28-pound child as I try to get her into the car. The lights from neighboring houses flickered on; I could only imagine how I must look, like a kidnapper in a frantic struggle.
In all honesty, as I write this, I can hear Mia’s antics in the background. Just moments ago, she was jumping on the couch, a behavior I’ve repeatedly forbidden. When she accidentally kicked her father, I calmly directed her to the Naughty Spot. “NO!” she retorted defiantly, and my patience was tested once more.
As she continued to resist, I invoked the “1-2-3 Magic” technique I had learned. “One. Go to the Naughty Spot.” “NO!” she spat back, further infuriating me. After a storm of high-pitched screams and tears, she finally settled down, but not without a fight.
Is there any hope for relief from this chaos? Perhaps the only remedy is the arrival of her fourth birthday.
My little girl turns four at the end of December, and this year, it’s not Christmas that I’m anxiously awaiting. If you’re in need of more insights about parenting or exploring home insemination options, check out this home insemination kit and gain valuable resources like this one on fertility. Another great read on skincare for busy moms can be found here: benefits of face serums.
Summary
Parenting a three-year-old is an unpredictable and chaotic journey, filled with tantrums and unexpected outbursts. From a shocking profanity incident in a store to battling over shoes, the challenges seem never-ending. As parents navigate these turbulent waters, they can find solace in the knowledge that this too shall pass, and the arrival of a fourth birthday may bring relief.