It’s this stage where you sing at the top of your lungs in your car seat to all of your favorite songs.
It’s this stage where you tell everyone you see at the store “happy birthday!”…because you’re just so excited for your own birthday party.
Now don’t get me wrong, this stage can be so hard. The days can feel long, the tears can seem endless. But the secret no one told me about the toddler years, is how much I could absolutely love it. Nobody warned me about the {beauty} within the terrible twos.
Sweet boy, daddy and I lay in bed at night and talk about how much we want to freeze you… freeze time. We want to freeze your sweet voice, your “still so chubby” thighs, your relentless love, your rambunctious personality. We even want to freeze your tantrums and your tears.
Because soon enough, you’re going to grow up and you won’t cry over mommy taking 2 minutes to use the restroom. You won’t throw a fit over daddy grabbing “the wrong cup” for you at supper time.
Instead, your heart will face grown up hurts. You’ll experience some of life’s hardest trials on your own. The days of crying over spilled milk will be gone. So instead of wishing the hard days away, wishing for time to speed up…I don’t want to even for a second wish these toddler years away. Because these toddler years, these terrible twos….They’re my favorite.
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This piece originally appeared on the TODAY Parenting Community, published with permission.
