From the archives: Why my toddler is crying (Liam edition).
On Tuesday mornings, I wake up with the sunrise and meet one of my new dear friends at the communal firepit. Our legs dangle from the Adirondack chairs (a short-person problem), and we sip our hot tea or coffee and chat about everything from faith to homeschooling to motherhood to RV living. I have quickly grown to cherish this one-on-one time with another mom whose kids have mostly flown the nest. We’re both writers, and she shared her personal blog with me, in which she wrote about her family’s homeschooling experience from years back. It inspired me to go back to my old blog (sneakersandspice.blogspot.com for the three of you who’ve been with me a while), and after I spent some time this morning reminiscing with the kids about our earlier days, I thought it would be fun to re-publish some of those posts. So without further ado, I give you the first one:
Why My Toddler Is Crying (Liam Edition)
Originally published October 18, 2013
I recently read a status update that a father posted about why his toddler was crying. I was so relieved to see that breakdowns seem to be a normal thing among two- and three-year-olds. Just for fun, I decided to make my own list. (For some reason, a lot of them have to do with oatmeal.)
Reasons my son is having a meltdown:
1. I put the oatmeal in the microwave to cook.
2. I put milk in the oatmeal.
3. I set the bowl of oatmeal in front of him.
4. I tried to feed him oatmeal with a spoon.
5. I tried to let him feed himself the oatmeal.
6. The oatmeal is too hot.
7. A single oat got stuck on his lip.
8. The sound of the spoon scraping the bowl of oatmeal.
9. The bottom of the bowl is visible.
10. I didn’t use the right color of spoon to feed him oatmeal.
11. He loves oatmeal so much it causes him pain.
12. He is overwhelmed by how hungry he is that he can’t eat.
13. He can’t get every last drop of the smoothie through his straw.
14. I tried to pick the straw up in the glass so he could drink more of the smoothie.
15. The smoothie wasn’t ready fast enough.
16. The puzzle piece isn’t turned the right way to fit in the space on the puzzle board.
17. The puzzle piece won’t fit in the wrong space.
18. His bear smells like detergent.
19. His baby brother is sitting in the Bumbo seat.
20. His baby brother isn’t crying and doesn’t need a pacifier.
21. His baby brother is crying.
22. I didn’t wait long enough after he woke up to get him up from his nap.
23. I waited too long to go in his room after he woke up from his nap.
24. I’m about to change his dirty diaper.
25. His ¾ length sleeves hit his arm in a weird place.
26. He is wearing long sleeves.
27. His pants leg has ridden up.
28. He isn’t wearing socks.
29. I am wearing boots.
30. I’m not wearing boots.
31. He and his bear are having a fight.
32. He misses his bear.
33. Riley is playing with a toy.
34. I’m brushing his teeth weird.
35. I didn’t give him the toothpaste to hold while I brushed his teeth.
36. I won’t let him touch the candle flame.
37. I won’t let him play with a knife on the counter.
38. I won’t let him play with nails.
39. I won’t let him poke Riley in the eye.
40. I won’t let him smack Riley in the chest.
41. I won’t let him pick up Riley by his neck.
42. I won’t let him stand on Riley while Riley is doing tummy time. Or, ever.
43. The Curious George DVD isn’t loading fast enough.
44. I won’t let him dump his milk all over himself.
45. He’s not allowed to pick up a live wasp.
46. I picked the wrong shirt for him to wear.
47. I didn’t walk over to the closet the right way.
48. His hair is sticking up.
49. I’m wearing glasses.
50. I’m not wearing glasses.
51. He turned his toy off, and now it won't make noise.
52. There's a breadcrumb on his orange slice.
53. The cheese on his toast is too melty.
54. He got grape jelly on his fingers.
55. The playdough doesn't taste good.
56. The cookies have to bake before he can eat one.
57. He needs to blow his nose.
58. His eye is watery.
59. His smoothie is too cold.
60. I can't sit in his high chair with him.
It's a hard-knock life for a toddler, isn't it?
We’ve come a long way over the past decade. Parents, hang in there; it gets better. Liam just turned 14, and he almost never cries over any of these things anymore.