Trying To Tackle The Terrible....Twenty-one Months???

Tomorrow, my sweet Emma girl will be 21 months old! I can't believe how quickly her second year is going by; we're already thinking about what to do for her birthday. She amazes me with how fast she is learning things and quickly she is fading from a baby into a little girl. She LOVES her baby sissy and is always trying to play with and soothe her. She is turning into such a Daddy's girl and asks about all her Aunties and Uncles every day.

She brings so much joy and entertainment into our daily lives and I am SO blessed to be her Mommy.

However,

lately we are seeing a different side of our little angel. I've heard of the Terrible Two's but, I think our little prodigy is getting a head start. I find myself feeling so unprepared to deal with tantrums, crying fits, ultra sensitivity, and defiance. I love her more than I could ever put to words, but in recent days I feel exhausted. Some days I feel like I am trying to negotiate world peace and doing a song and dance to keep her happy.

I guess, I naively thought, "Not our little sweetheart. She'll never hit me or yell NO! Nope, not this sweet girl."

I know it's normal. I know it's a stage like any other and that she's learning and growing and testing boundaries. I think I'm having such a hard time with it because it makes me realize I am not in control. I can not make her stop screaming. I can not make her obey my words. I can not make her stop hitting. Yes, I can enforce discipline and time-outs. But in the heat of battle, when I'm at my witt's end - I can't make her act the way I want.

I didn't know I had issues with control. Really. It is turning out to be a humbling task of parenting that I'm entrusted with right now. We have "good" days and we have "bad" days. I'm finding comfort with accepting the fact that no matter how good of a Mom I am; even if it were possible for me to be perfect, my child can still rebel.

My pastor once preached on the topic of God's understanding and empathy with parents. HE created the perfect environment for HIS children. HE afforded Adam and Eve every luxury. HE spent endless amounts of quality time with them. HE was available to them all the time and in every perfect way. But, they still rebelled.

While I think this can provide immense comfort for parents with older or adult children that have gone astray, it provides comfort and relief for me too. I know that HE has equipped me with all that I need to raise Emma and Hannah. But, nobody said it was going to be easy. :)

Truth be told, I think the photos of Emma's sad faces are kinda cute.