Almost Three

For months I have been hearing from friends that the terrible twos are a myth, three is the really challenging age.  And now I see what they were talking about!  In the last month my sweet, usually compliant boy has turned into a still-sweet-yet-tantrum-throwing-at-the-drop-of-a-hat boy.  Gone are the days of quick obedience!  The littlest things lead to ten minutes of yelling.  Example: We put the kiddos to bed in two layers of pjs for warmth, but after the morning trip to the potty it makes sense (to me) to just put one layer of pants back on before breakfast.  Two mornings this week that unpopular decision on my part has led to all-out wailing, and twenty minutes later at the breakfast table, while suppressing a sob, the murmured comment "I just 'kyin' cause I not wearing two pants."  In fact, "I just 'kyin' because..." is probably the most oft-heard phrase in our house right now.  Sheesh.

My pastor Stephen posted something on his blog a while back that has been really helpful to me as we face these new challenges.  He says that when he was growing up, his dad Mark (who is our senior pastor) expected him to be a sinner, so he never acted surprised when Stephen messed up.  Instead, he (Mark) reacted with grace and patience, knowing that he, too, was a sinner.  It is so easy for me to became frustrated and impatient with Austin these days (there's my sin coming out) but I am trying to remember that this phase is completely natural and to be expected, really.  The Bible is so clear that we are all sinful creatures by nature so of course my little ones will act like it sooner or later.  The more tantrums we go through, the more chances I have to point him to the One who has provided the only solution for our sin.  If you mention Jesus, Austin will tell you that "Jesus died on da coss to be punished for all da bad tings we done." : )  That's a big truth that I pray he will understand more and more.