You hear a lot about the terrible two’s. We are no doubt smack in the middle of this stage with Thing 3. But that is not what I’m writing about today.
Thing 3 is also a two year old terror. Who does he terrorize? His older brothers. Usually you hear about the older ones picking on the youngest. Not here.
Part of the terror comes from the normal toddler behavior of getting into his brothers stuff. They know a game of checkers, or playing a computer game is subject to instant termination when Thing 3 is around.
Then there is the physical intimidation. Yes, by a two year old. To him, about the funniest thing you can do is bop someone on the head and say “ow”. All fun and games with a pillow or stuffed animal. Not quite so funny when it’s a flashlight, fork, or other hard object.
He also likes to run full steam and dive on you. It’s fun when you see him coming. It hurts when you don’t. Either way he comes up laughing.
On so many occasions when the three of them are horsing around, it’s usually one of the older ones who come up crying at the hands of Thing 3.
They both flinch when Thing 3 makes a move in their direction. As a result, Thing 1 and Thing 2 have the reflexes and awareness of a secret service agent.
One night, Thing 2 woke up crying during the night. He was having a nightmare. I walked him back to his bed and asked what scared him. He said he dreamed that Thing 3 was chasing him with his flashlight.
I know how tough it is. Lewis, our terrible two year old is full on and hard to deal with a lot of the time. But when the quiet comes – usually late at night before sleep – I remember the craziness and the energy and how he pushes boundaries and his family to breaking point and I can only think that he is AWESOME.
Believe it or not…I too fear Thing 3…especially when it chases me with a flashlight