I Don't Believe In The Terrible Two's

I Don’t Believe In The Terrible Two’s

I read somewhere – my apologies to the author, I don’t remember where I saw this – that our culture is mostly intrigued by negative writing, stories and media. Pay close attention for 5 minutes to any news item or the general language people use (everyday phrases such as “shoot me an email”) and you’ll find this thread of negativity almost everywhere.
No wonder we have such high levels of illness and depression with this toxicity seeping into everything we do, watch, read and listen to.

The greatest disservice is when we allow this thread to weave it’s way into the books, articles and conversations we have about how we raise our children. Perspective is everything when you know that your toddler will experience and express a wider range of emotions and is physically undergoing a release of new hormones. I don’t believe in the Terrible Two’s, I believe in honouring the next phase of a child’s development. There is absolutely nothing terrible about witnessing my delicious 18 month old blossom into a fuller spectrum of her emotions, even if it means behaviour that isn’t always agreeable. My role is to teach my daughter how to honour her feelings and deal with them effectively. This perspective is one that keeps me focused on what’s important, what belief am I impressing upon her, even on tense days.

It’s vital that we move away from the Terrible Two’s language simply because it seeps into their unconscious as “I’m terrible” and these beliefs become the permanent default setting for years to come. Choose literature that uses language with purposeful intention to create a supportive, loving and positive belief system through perspective and approach. Choose associations that demonstrate a loving approach, not folks that joke about how terrible it is and have bought into the negativity. Do forgive them, it’s likely they do not understand the long term effects.

And apply this perspective to all areas of life, you will notice a positive ripple effect increasing happiness, joy and enjoyable relationships.