Birdie and I were at the store this morning, and the very sweet girl at the counter was asking about Birdie and how old she is. When I told her that she had recently turned two, the conversation shifted to “the terrible twos.”
I get it. This age is hard. But something in my gut feels so wrong about about that phrase. There is a verse in Proverbs that says, “Gentle words bring life and health.” Isn’t this what we all want for our little ones? When we use words like “terrible” to describe our child (or their stage of development), well... then what do we expect from them?
As our brand new two year old is experiencing her world in a new way, she’s also testing boundaries and having to learn how to deal with big feelings. That’s a lot to handle! It’s requiring an immense amount of energy, consistency, and prayer on our part. Even through it all the tears, meltdowns, and frustration we have to remember that’s it’s not “terrible.” Nothing about her is “terrible.”
This season is also so rich and wonderful. Her mind is soaking in every little thing that we say and do. So let’s speak gently to our little ones and know that these precious days will be over before we know it.