My daughter was standing in the kitchen screaming bloody murder about not getting her way about something – who knows what it was. In the midst of this full-blown fit, my husband says, “Hey, wanna see a picture of a panda bear?” and she instanly stops crying and happily says, “Sure!” Fit over.
The other day I declared that three-years-old is the absolute best age. I’ve only been a parent for a little over five years in total, but THIS has go to be the best age. I just love it!
But by the time night fell, I had made a whole new declaration: three is THE WORST. It’s a complete roller coaster ride.
One minute they are making you laugh so hard you can’t breathe and the next they’ve brought you to tears. One day they love eating on the Dora plate and the next day they refuse to use it.
Having a three-year-old around is the the very best thing ever, but it’s also the absolute worst. There is a reason everyone calls them a threenager.
Why They’re The Best Ever
Have you seen a three-year-old open a present? It’s epic. You could wrap up an apple from the kitchen and they will act like you just bought them a diamond necklace. It makes Christmas morning spectacular.
They are full of new words that you had no idea they knew. Your oatmeal is tolerable, you say?
They say things that are so hysterical you feel they could have their own stand-up comedy show.
Their belly laugh is the best sound in the world.
They have their own names for things. My daughter calls Target, Red Walmart. I almost don’t want her to learn the right versions of things.
They dance and sing without fear of humiliation or shame.
They think farting is the funniest thing ever.
They say things that are meant to be mean but come out entirely hilarious. My daughter told her dad randomly last week, “You’re really pushing my buttons, dad!” But it was so funny, we couldn’t help but laugh.
They say they love you in the sweetest ways. My little one tells everyone, “I like you so much!”
They are like little tiny people and it’s just the cutest damn thing ever.
Why They’re The Worst
They have incredibly strong opinions about everything. What they wear, where you are going, who is sitting next to them, which cup they are drinking from…
They know too little and too much at the same time. Like that big bellies on a woman mean there is a baby in there, but they don’t know that big bellies on a woman often DON’T mean there’s a baby in there.
They always have to pee.
They never help pick up.
They can’t let anything go. Whatever they are mad about will last all day, with small breaks of forgetfulness in between.
They have things they need but can’t properly explain it. They say things like, “It’s the yellow thing with the straight line!” You have a 15-minute, impossible conversation until you realize they’re asking for GoGurt.
They stop napping even though they desperately need one.
They are always taking their clothes off.
They stomp their foot a lot.
And put their hands on their hips.
PS: My friend Rachel just created an amazing new baby sleep course! It’s called Coos to Snooze and it’s really fantastic. By putting these key habits into place your baby WILL sleep. If you try it for 30 days and they don’t? You get your money back! This might be the best $49 you’ve ever spent.
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
