As parents, I think sometimes we unintentionally scare those coming behind us, with horror stories of our troubles with the little ones. We label stages like “the terrible twos” and then come up with fantastic sayings like “three is the new terrible two” and such loveliness that instills fear in every mom whose child isn’t quite there yet. I know I was pretty nervous when my son was turning three because I had heard from so many moms that three was a particularly tough stage, and that two was nothing compared to the struggles that come along when the kiddo turns three.
I won’t lie, three has been a challenge just as every other age has it’s challenges. What made the difference in our house was that at some point I decided to stop dwelling on the difficult parts. Yep, we still deal with tantrums, and have our little power struggles. My little guy is a genius at finding loop holes in virtually every rule I make, and he frequently tries to act like he’s the leader of our family, but truly, three has been a really fantastic year as well.
As you know, on this blog we do share the imperfections and rough parts of motherhood. I think it’s important that moms are open and honest about how things are going, instead of guilt-tripping each other and fueling the mommy wars. But, I also believe in the importance of looking beyond the imperfections and rough days with our kids. I freely admit that I’m unable to enjoy every last millisecond of motherhood, but I can enjoy a whole lot of them, and when it comes down to it, I love being a mom. Even though I get annoyed with my kiddos from time to time, at the end of the day I look at them with love, no matter how difficult the last few hours or days have been.
Sometimes, if an evening has been particularly rough, I’ll sneak into my son’s room and just watch him sleep for a few minutes. Letting my heart remember his sweetness and letting go of any stress that has accumulated in me from a long battle of wills during the day.
I could list a thousand challenges that come with the age three, but instead I wanted to share some pretty incredible things that have come with this new stage of my boy’s life. While this year hasn’t been easy (I doubt any year of parenting could be classified that way), it has been neat as I’ve been learning to find the awesome in spite of the difficult stages we’ve encountered.
Here are 5 fantastic things about 3 year olds
- Hugs – He’s still small enough to want hugs and kisses from his mama and even initiate them! Can’t even handle the sweetness sometimes!
- Speech – He is able to clearly communicate his wants and needs. There’s no guessing or trying desperately to figure out what he’s trying to say. He can let us know what he needs and even tell stories about his day!
- Independence – There is an entirely laundry list of things he’s able to do on his own now. He can put his own shoes on, he can take his dishes to the sink, and he can do stairs all on his own!
- Help – At three, he’s still young enough to love helping with things. Anything that will make him feel like a “big boy” and he’s there! He even tries to help his baby sister with things she’s too small to handle on her own.
- Kid stuff – For the first time I feel like we’re crossing in to actual “kid” territory, instead of all toddler activities. He’s able to take turns and play board games now (which I’m super-excited about), he can color pictures correctly and actually has the attention span to do it. He plays imaginative games with himself, and can act out scenarios he’s read in books or seen on sesame street.
This age has had it’s challenges too, but more than anything it has been amazing to see him developing his own little personality and acting more like a kid than a baby. Every age has it’s difficulties, but every age has it’s wonderful things about it as well. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to see the amazing through the hard, but it always makes such a difference in our day when I take the time to put my focus where it should be!
What’s your favorite part of the stage your child is in?
Elise @ Frugal Farm Wife says
I agree! So much you hear about having kids is how they ruin everything! I have to work hard to remind myself that the goal in life isn’t to have a clean house, because it’s easy to miss the joy of the little years when you don’t stay focused.
My oldest is almost three, and it can be hard, but all 5 things you listed are so fun! He LOVES to help with everything, which is a challenge all in itself lol. And I can’t wait until he’s old enough to understand some simple games like Alphabet Lotto, and be interested in coloring books. :)
Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal says
My third son is three and it has been more of a challenge with his tantrums, but he is also so lovable and a mommy’s boy. It is nice to turn the negative into positive especially when it comes to our children.
Sarah says
ahhhhhh- yes to all of this! I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and am all about the transparency that this season of life is difficult- but there’s a lot to rejoice in too. My 3 year old little girl seems like she’s starting to become more of my “buddy”… less hands on, less high maintenance {though of course it is still lots of guiding and shaping…}. It IS such a fun age! Thanks for this!