Terribly Two

Lord, help me. We have quite the little actor on our hands.

Henry is terribly two at times. In the past week, we've developed more defiance than the constant "no" and "no, Momma" (which is happening WAAAYY too often, in my book). Recently, upon attempting to repeatedly remind Henry that he should sit on his chair at the table, rather than climb up on the table, he responded, "no, Momma, I'm going to stay on the table." Excuse me? Aside from the well-formed sentence, there is something wrong with this picture.

Today, he seemed to just want to jump on my last nerve. After I turned the light on in the kitchen, he went over and turned it off. He stated, as he did this, "I want the light off, Momma." Again, I'm somewhat baffled about how to avoid the simple back and forth argument of yes and no. But geesh! If he keeps this up, I'll have a full head of gray hair by the time baby number two comes around.

I realize that he is entering a stage of independence and wants to make a few of his own choices. I'm just still unclear about how this works as his only answer when presented with options is "no."

So, it's not just a sarcastic remark. Lord, help me. After being sick for this long, my patience is short. Please offer me guidance as we navigate these new waters of Henry & Mommy finding ways to make it through our days without major conflict over little things.

It's not all bad. Occasionally, I get a glimpse of how terribly sweet Henry can be - giving spontaneous BIG hugs. Or singing a funny song. Or sharing a toy with one of his little playmates.

But the switch between the two sides of the coin keep my head spinning!