An Understatement: Having a Toddler is Hard

Please never ever EVER let me look at you and say “Oh Honey, these are the sweetest days of your life. They grow so fast.” 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Having a toddler is hard.

Yes, I know. I KNOW these are sweet days - as a whole.  Individually though, they might be some of the toughest days I’ve been through.

But I was that mother  ( I FORGOT how hard it is to be that mother!)  – yesterday.  I was the one with the screaming kid in the grocery checkout line. And NO, I didn’t just have milk and bread.  I had a cart full of food that I needed to buy and just TAKE HOME. ASAP.  This was not a time I could cart-abort.  

The looks from everyone,  the tsk-tsking, the embarrassed smile from the clerk …  

… all the while I am thinking ‘I KNOW why he is crying!  He wants a stinking lollipop that this usually-awesome-for-everyone-that-they-give-out-lolipops store gives BUT it’s 9:15am!   I DO NOT WANT MY 20MONTH OLD TO HAVE A LOLIPOP AT 9:15AM!!'

But it’s impossible to tell anyone anything while he’s screaming and writhing and running and falling and “Up!UP!ing” and simultaneously “DOWN!DOWN!ing” in and through my arms. 

 SO. I deep breathe and wrestle my boa-constrictor angry-arms-legs everywhere possessed monkey child while trying not to spill the entire contents of my purse, remembering I have another child that I quickly look around for, to make sure he is still somewhere in the store.  (He was!)  (Victory!)

Anyways, honey.  Having a toddler is hard.  Mentally, physically.    I got home and was essentially done for the day.  Which is silly, because it was just the start of the day.

 

This is just one part of one hour of one day example of what it’s like to have a toddler. 

Please don’t let me forget. It’s hard.  SO Hard.

You can just call me and I’ll listen and just say “Oh honey, it goes so fast.” And you can hang up and be annoyed.   Wouldn't that be wonderful!?