Crazy Days!

So, yesterday, I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad, CRAZY day with my almost two year old twins. There were tears, suppressed yells, and that awful feeling that I am just not cutting it as a parent. I literally cried in the shower last night. Like a sad, dirty, smelly little baby.

So. Today. Today was crazy too. Crazy fun! There was laughter, and toys smashing into each other and jumping piggies. It was amazing! What was the difference?

Well, after much thought, I realized that I was trying to get my boys interested in activities that they were not only completely DISINTERESTED in, but I realized that they weren't quite ready for them.

My son D. wanted SO badly to please Mommy and to do what I was showing him, and when he couldn't it was just TOTAL frustration and toddler overload. I had set him up to fail. It was an accident, and totally unintentional, but the result was the same as if I had planned it out: A very cranky, uncooperative little boy, and a mama to match!

So, today. Today. Ah, today was a glorious day. The birds sang, the rain poured, and it was amazing. Today, I started playtime with something I already knew my boys liked: water. I poured about a centimeter of water into a chip and dip tray. We had a ball!

I tried to keep that in mind all day, choosing activities that had a "hook" to them, that were simple enough that they could complete them, and we really enjoyed our day.

So, why am I sharing this here? Because yesterday, I wanted to quit. I was SOOOO frustrated, I didn't know what to do. Realizing that my son picked up MY frustration, when he's already got too much of his own to handle, made me realize that I need to fix this. Now.

My frustration came from the fact that they're not talking much yet, and at nearly two, they should have at least 50 words. So, I was trying to teach them to talk. Badly. AND IT DIDN'T WORK!!

Once I changed my tactics, things went BEAUTIFULLY! So, the moral of the story: There's more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to teach a toddler (or any child) a skill. Don't give up!