Word Sunday : Terrible Twos

The terrible twos refer to the period when a toddler are beginning to discover independence and individuality. It can begin as early as 9 months but usually around the age of two, thus the name. This is the age where temper tantrums are beginning to emerge.

At this stage the toddler is discovering that they are actually a separate entity altogether being from their mother. The way for them to explore and see how things work, is by testing their boundaries. Thus it is very important for mummies to be consistent with boundaries and discipline for the childÂ’s safety and MY SANITY. And of course lots of luuurrvvvvveeee and kisses and huggies and nose pressings and cheek pinching.

But of course Zachary is no where near terrible. I kan mak dia. Mestilah kata gitu. He throws tantrums now and then to the dismay of his kakak and abang. But it never did stop them "bullying" him anyway. Despite the occasional crying from JackJack who complains that abang buat him or complaints from abang that jack keep throwing his blocks at him or the forever complaints by Sya that Jack pulled her hair, they are always playing together.

As expected, everything in the house belongs to him. EVERYTHING. "Mine!", he would say. When he wants, he wants. So sometimes I need to put a line to him. Kena tahnlah kalau melalak tu.

Haziq usually kicks around with Jack. Jack would be holding his fist in a stance. He would then charge at you and pretend to hit you, but sometimes he would actually hit you for good. Ouch! Jack! When you still wear diaper, you would look incredibly cute doing that. And because a toddler look like us albeit small, shot hands, short legs, small fists, buttoned nose, they look so adorable. It's hard to be angry.

Jack plays with Sya's dolls too. He would hold a wrapped up in a blankie barbie, just like Sya, but would later throw Barbie around. Sya would of course be angry.

The only problem is when my older kids are not around. Jack would usually want to kick around with me. I sometimes oblige. He would charge, kick, punch and I would pretend that I was hurt..ahhhhhh...and drop myself to the floor. Then I would come up and attack him in return. He would run with his little short legs and exaggerated arm swing. I would then lift him up and attack him with kisses on his face, on his tummy, his armpit and he would shout and squeal. If he is in the mood of punching, this would annoy him tremendously and would wriggle off. He would shout,"TOP IT! TOP IT!" And that is stop it in your language.

Another great thing about these terrible twos period is their constant act of imitating you. Especially masa sembahyang. So cute tengok budak kecik sujud. And him reciting Allahu Akbar.

And vocabolary expansion is tremendous albeit sometimes the baby talk. The attempt to have a full conversation with you is amusing. Zachary is now into three proper word in a sentence.

Jack nak ikut.
Abang main air.
Nak ambik kakak.
Jack nak apple jus. (eh 4 pulak)

Terrible twos year is a great year to enjoy your little one, but watch out for the tantrum.