Toddler Moms: A Letter to You

A letter to my fellow toddler moms ,

I get it. One minute they love you, the next the world is ending and nothing will fix it. You worked hard all day on a great dinner that was tossed on the ground because you forgot to serve it on the orange plate. How dare you! Toddler moms everywhere understand this scene.

My youngest son has been a struggle.

I’m not ashamed to say it. Motherhood is hard in all conditions but parenting a toddler has been the hardest thing I have had to do. They are stubborn and resilient creatures that have a special talent for poking buttons. Toddlers love to take you on an emotional rollercoaster that will have your head spinning and your body questioning which way is up.

Postpartum depression after his birth stripped me of the tools I once had and I’m trying to re-learn it all again.

He doesn’t make it easy for me.

He learned to yell at me “Leave me alone!” by age 2 and uses the phrase often, often accompanied by trying to kick and/or hit me. Mommy’s kisses are already gross and get rubbed off. When he is mad at me, he loves to mutter under his breath, “I don’t love you, mom.” He does the opposite of whatever I say and loves to run off without looking back, or where he is going for that matter. (resulting in more than 1 bump on the head). He’ll scream at me for hours because the shirt he rubbed dirt on yesterday isn’t clean for today.

He’s tested my patience and made me question myself on multiple occasions. 

I forgot all my own tricks for toddler moms on how to deal with tantrums and allowed myself to get flustered, something I rarely did with my first born. Maybe its because he is so much larger and louder that it has been harder for me this time around. The increased anxiety I felt since day one definitely doesn’t help either.  

Toddlers………they can be vicious.

But then 5 minutes later, when he forgot about his dinosaur shirt and decided he did in fact want to eat something, he’ll flash that big smile of his at me with a “TANK YOU MOOOMMMMMYYYY!!!! …..hug?……kisses?…….I wuv you.”

All the stress from 5 minutes earlier will melt away from the warmth of that smile. Being this toddler’s mom has been the craziness roller coaster of my life. It’s these moments that are needed, as parents, to remind us of the joys. 

Being a toddler mom (or a parent in general) is hard and it’s ok to recognize that.

Just because it is hard doesn’t mean that we don’t love it. Complaining about our children doesn’t make us love them any less. Neither does yelling at them. What is important, is how we handle the next step.

Make a change.

Apologize to your child for yelling. When your toddler has a grip on one of those buttons and is sucking your patience, take a step back and slow yourself down. Model the behavior that you want them to show. This includes admitting to yourself, and your children, that you can not do it all. Throw perfection out the window because that is an ideal that nobody can live up to and accept your limitations. 

As parents, our children look at us like we are superheroes but the truth is we are just people. We are imperfect humans trying our best to raise new imperfect humans to survive this imperfect world.

So take it easy on yourself.

Being a toddler mom is hard, but you are not alone.

Follow me on Instagram (@CaliffLifeCreations) for toddler mom life and more.

Check out my letter to my 3 year old (written when my oldest turned 3) and make sure to look through my Custom Creations section for some crafts and activities for toddlers!

 

Follow Me!

• 
• 
• 
• 
•