Battle Of Wills With A Two Year Old

What I am realising is that raising a child is a mirror of your own weaknesses and strengths. I thought my husband had first prize in knowing which buttons to push, but Ammu (my two-year-old) beats Adam by a mile.

In a span of two weeks, she has done everything that I have had trouble with or my development opportunities, as we call it.

First, she likes to copy me and imitate me to the tiniest detail - apparently it is a sign of adoration, which, believe it or not, I detest. It is disconcerting to have this tiny human observe me all her waking hours like a hawk or a security detail. It’s like I have absolutely no privacy. The way I put my earrings, the way I wash my feet, the way I brush my teeth, the way I cross my legs - she wants to copy it all. It’s like my worst nightmare come true.

It never works to expect your child to act like a grown up first.

Second, I am not sure what the term is, so I will explain some scenarios. It was her mealtime. She likes to eat on her own, so I gave her a plate and a spoon. Then she wanted food, so I gave her a few pieces. She has this habit of stuffing her mouth with food, so she would take all the pieces, put them in her mouth without chewing, and then throw them out. So, my solution to this was to take the plate away and feed her one by one. My mom was around, and she said, ‘No - you have to explain to her that she has to eat one by one and chew it.’ Which she then went on to demonstrate by talking to Ammu. Ammu listened. How annoying! I thought my solution was a genius - anything that causes trouble for me, take it away. My mom said, ‘Now, it’s not about what makes your life easier.’ I hate that too - I am a project manager; I like things to be efficient, and I had mastered how to be efficient while still working with people at work. But the two-year-old tiny human has me stumped - efficiency goes out the window for now.

Third, her superpower is that she can go into a room or any space and identify the dirtiest corner - the one that nobody cleans and go there straight away. It’s like there is always something messy about her - it doesn’t matter how much I clean. And I like things to be clean, and now that is not possible. I wipe her mouth - she takes another swipe at the spoon. And she suddenly decides she is going to crawl on the stairs, which probably have not been cleaned in two days or more. She wants to sit on the balcony, which has dust on it despite cleaning every day.

We operate with our own agenda constantly. We need to leave the house, we need quiet. We need them to eat, sleep. And we expect our children to drop their agenda and meet ours without question. But, they also have an agenda which is as real and urgent. And that is where the conflict arises.

I am sure other things will come up, just like peeling the layers of the onion. The Universe has decided that I am ready to graduate to the next level in the life of the game and has awarded me with another set of obstacles. Because that is what I wanted - be careful what I wish for, eh? I also know that I love a challenge - after all, my vision in life is to be a better version of myself every day and inspire others to do the same.

All the things listed above are things I need to work on - apparently, the Universe did not like the pace at which I was working on them, so it provided me with a two-year-old teacher.

Do you have any stubborn lessons in your life that you are learning?

Thank you for listening and letting me share.