Ahh…the 2βs. No longer babies, & certainly not yet self sufficient – the 2βs represents a group of children who are rapidly coming into their own – while still needing:
- Constant supervision...(βI only looked away for a second!β -said every 2 yo caregiver, somewhere, sometime, while cleaning up some type of disaster)
- Entertainment
- Snacks…(soo many snacks)
- Transportation…(oh- you thought only school age children require taxi-ing to & fro? Sorry! You forgot about baby swim, toddler gymnastics, play dates with other toddlers, dr appointments…etc)
- …& the list goes on & on!
And these full time tasks are WORTH EVERY SECOND… as your 2 year old reciprocates with:
- Cuddles
- Silly babbles & cute words for objects
- Laughter at all your jokes
- Admiring gazes
- Growth & development milestones that make you so proud
- & the list again goes on & on!
Terrible 2βs? vs. Thoughtful 2βs
Have you heard the term βterrible twoβsβ?
Well…in the spirit of our mindset shift – we are going to redefine our outdated approach to interpreting the 2βs…
& from now on we have…
the THOUGHTFUL TWOβS!
This approach is supported by well established research based methods for defining this time (also referred to as “stage of developmentβ) during which children are:
- Slowly developing their self help skills
- Slowly developing their problem solving skills
- Slowly developing their rational thinking skills…
…& last but not least…
- Slowly developing their patience, emotional regulation, & inhibition control
…while @ the same time…
- Rapidly increasing their ability to comprehend
- Rapidly increasing their desire to decision make for themselves
- Rapidly developing their individual personality, likes, dislikes, & preferences
Remember: The goal behind the mindset movement here @ think10fold is to establish a pattern of thinking in which we are:
active, cognizant, and eager participants in the one true thing we have control over…
our πβπππΎβππ!!
It is good that you are here – because the 2 year old stage takes A LOT of πβπππΎβπ!
Refer back to the list of 2 yo development above – we know that at this age children are going through a stage that can be very trying for a caregiver to navigate. You may not always feel like your efforts make an impact. It may feel like it will be like this forever.
I PROMISE you – you will look back & say βwhere did the time go?β
In those moments – go back and re read this section from the beginning!
Because for every struggle a 2 yo survives, for every tantrum they recover from, for every tear shed (by caregiver & child!) … there are SO many more teachable moments seized, lessons learned, growth occurring, and character developed.
These are the outcomes of thoughtful interaction, planning, organization, & direction for time spent with a 2 year old.
π₯ππππππππ ππ 