raising a two year old

Raising a two year old. Oh my. Every month parenting magazines show up in my mailbox. I resist hurling them across the room when they claim you can tame your two year old in 3 easy steps. I lay in bed at the end of most days questioning myself - "I should have been more consistent there" or "I was too hard on him then." Help me, Lord! Liam is energetic, physical, impulsive, daring, and smart. If I draw a line he wants to see how close he can get to it and what will happen if he crosses it.

Examples:

Me: Liam, please don't put your finger in Hayden's eye.

(pause)

Me: Liam, don't put your thumb in Hayden's eye either.

And just today:

Me: Liam, please don't bang the bowling pin on the window.

(bang, bang, bang)

Me: Liam, don't bang the bowling pin on the table either.

(tap, tap, tap)

Me: If you bang OR tap the bowling pin on anything again, I'll take it away.

(tap, tap, tap)

Me: Hand it over bubba.

I feel like I'm constantly correcting, disciplining, and telling him no. I have to really look for things to praise him on because I don't want him to feel like I'm just beatin' him down all day.

And then of course there's potty-training. Too many times I've thought, "i think he's finally got this potty thing down." The next day - poop in the pants. He will go an entire day without wetting his pants. Then the next day, he's wetting his pants every time I turn around. Wearing me out!

Speaking of pants...American Idol fans can appreciate this. A few weeks ago Liam stood up on the fire place (his "stage") to quote his memory verse. He stood there for a minute and then said "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool with ya pants on the ground, gold in ya mouth, hat turned sideways." Not exactly the 23rd Psalm! He did it again at the grocery store. Hayden was kinda antsy and I asked Liam to sing her a song. So he breaks out in "Pants On the Ground" at the top of his lungs. Hilarious! I tried to keep a straight face and switch him to the "Jesus Loves Me" track.

No doubt he makes me crazy. One minute I want to cry because my sweet baby boy is dragging his sister down the stairs by her toes, and the next minute I'm laughing because he's running around the front yard in his underwear with sox on his hands - which he did today.

notice there is no snow! it melted away about two weeks ago. woo hoo!!! we survived our first minnesota winter!

I find myself repeating the same phrases over and over:

"Gentle hands Liam"

"Use a kind voice."

"Yes, please?"

"Yes, please?"

"Hayden is more special than any toy."

"Don't pick Hayden up please."

"Are you dry?"

"Let's have a potty break"

"Yes, please?"

"Time for a potty break"

And the latest addition: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." (thanks mom!)

He has a MAJOR struggle with sharing. I keep thinking he should be growing out of this problem by now. This is where the line "Hayden is more special than any toy" comes in to play. I don't want him to share just because I tell him to. I want him to share because it's the right thing to do and the right way to treat others - because people are more important than things. He's not grasping that concept so much.

After Bible class or any kind of childcare time I will ask Liam, "how was class today?" Many times he says, "I hit kids and take toys away." Great. Awesome.

So I guess the moral of this story is...what goes around comes around. My deepest apologies to my mother. I know now what she endured to raise me!