Wit's End

I never thought this day would come.

The day which I am feeling that I'm at my wit's end.

With Caleb.

Until about last week, we thought Caleb's "terrible two's" phase would just walk past our lives without making a stop. I can't even begin to tell you how good he is. Was. He was always so passive, so obedient, so helpful, so caring, so...perfect. While other moms were pulling their hair out with their toddlers, I was bragging about what a model child he is. Was. I have friends who contact me on a regular basis to babysit him. I had Sunday School Teachers who couldn't wait to see his face. While reading books on disciplining children, I was whispering "thank you's" in my prayers for having such an easy-going two-year-old.

That all changed in one week.

All of a sudden, for one, putting him to bed became a mission that needed a back up plan--we needed to know what to do should he choose not to go to sleep peacefully. It's like trying to kill a spider that is in your bed--you hate to do it, you don't even want to think about it, yet you know you have to do it. Then, he went from not knowing what doorknobs were one day, to knowing, and operating all doors with perfection, the next day.

He even learned to use this skill, to prolong his bedtime battle, by showing his presence in our living room, after we have repeatedly ordered him to his bed.

So..Mommy and Daddy (actually, Mommy) had to come up with a creative yet workable plan to keep his bedroom door closed.




Then, on a good day, when he feels like sharing his toys with his sister, who still enjoys sitting inside the ExcerSaucer and chewing on whichever item she can possibly get her fingers on, he would bring out his blocks, and just dumps the whole bin onto her, sending her a threatening message (with a smile:) while you enjoy staying in one station and cannot possibly move on your own, let me drown you with my blocks.




I don't know. Maybe being a mother is not that effortless, after all. I miss holding my warm little bundle of joy, when he did nothing else but slept and ate. Being a mother was so carefree then. No pulling (out my hair) and yelling (at Benny after a long day.) No threats (against Caleb.) No disciplining. Caleb liked me, and I adored him. Life was full of hopes and dreams.

So...what happened?