The Epitome

Obstinate...Check!
Forceful...Check!
Unruly...Check!
Tantrums...Triple Check!

Eli has become the epitome of the terrible two's. Most of his response's to our requests are an emphatic "NO". He doesn't do what we tell him, he runs away when we try to get him to do anything, he is picky and we are always wrong. He'll get a snack, then not eat it and repeat the cycle. He'll undress from his jammies nightly and run around in a diaper, then throw a fit while we force him back into them at bedtime. While he is cute when he stuffs his Grandma's possessions in his jammies and runs around with them, he doesn't take it well when we tell him to give them back.

Christian and Tori version of terrible two's were not this pronounced. I have to put that up to their demeanor being so laid back. Eli is anything but laid back. He has to be involved in everything and will fight (including hitting, but no biting) his siblings for his things. He is going to be a bear to teach about sharing. Time-outs when he turns into the Tasmanian Devil don't help, swatting him sometimes aggravates the situation, distraction seems to be our only ally at the moment and it is temporary in a lot of cases. He just goes back to being aggrieved when he remembers he was crying and screaming. You know, because we are monstrous parents who force him to do things he doesn't want to do like sit in his car seat! He's a Category 5 Hurricane of terrible two's and we've got 6 more months of stormy weather, I hope he grows out of it in that time.