Something crazy is going on with Kieran these days.  He is cranky and defiant. He screams about every little perceived injustice. He wants to do everything his sister does, even when he is not developmentally capable.  He climbs, hits, and occasionally, he bites.

What is this foul spirit that has possessed my sweet boy?  Two.  The terrible twos.  He is only ten days shy of his second birthday and his desire for independence is running rampant and turning him into a monster.

You may think I’m being melodramatic (never!) and perpetuating stereotypes (moi?). I have considered the same thing. On the one hand, every child is different. They don’t all behave the same way through each developmental stage. I don’t believe Avery was so belligerent at this age (despite anything I may have blogged at the time).  But her powers of communication were considerably more developed at this stage.

On the other hand, stereotypes are around for a reason. Because enough children of the same “type” exist, legends are created. And my almost-two-year-old is becoming the stuff of legends.  But truly, I can’t blame him.  He is clearly frustrated, more than anything, by his inability to control his world.  His speech has greatly improved since his surgery, but he still has a long way to go in the communication department.  He doesn’t get to decide when he can go outside, what he eats, when he sleeps or plays, and whether or not he may consume pebbles for dinner.  And he has an older sister who, in his mind, gets to do everything he doesn’t. This lack of control would be infuriating. I get it. I really do. But still, the temper tantrums, the shrieking, wailing, going-limp-and-laying-on-the-floor-howling, the fighting over every. little. detail. is wearing me out.

I fear what the next months will be like as we pack up our house, travel across the country to visit friends and family, move to the new city that will be our home, camp in a hotel, find a new place to live, and unpack.  If I am finding it overwhelming as an adult, how will a two year old deal with so much change?

Somebody hold me!