“I can do it myself!” That quote pretty much sums up nanny life when your child turns three. The attitude reaches new levels of rage and pitch. Let me tell you, the shriek of a toddler is eardrum shattering. My God, the sound! I am honestly shocked that windows haven’t shattered due to the high frequency. Because she couldn’t put her Cinderella dress on correctly the first time, she is screaming like someone ripped off her left arm. Then once the dress is on, she is a completely pleasant little human. Jekyll and Hyde- the toddler version. It is terrifying.
Little Miss Sass Pants is a persona I do not much enjoy. The hands on the hips and the simple eye glare are enough to make my skin crawl. I always tell them, “Use your powers for good, not evil”. They are so bright and know just what to say. This equates to raising two lawyers and/or politicians. The arguments over what I said or how I said it. They sight precedent for goodness sakes! “No, Miss Marie…. You let us play in the water at the Children’s Museum before!” That may be true, but sometimes I don’t feel like lugging extra clothes, towels, water shoes just so they can play in the water for 5 minutes until they come running to me complaining the are “Freeeeeeeeezinggggg”.
Playing with others is like The Hunger Games. Toys are a precious commodity. It is as if kids have this sixth sense when someone else is trying to play with their favorite toy. An alarm goes off in their heads and they lose control. Their arms flail about, they scream, they run so fast I think they’ll Kool Aid Man through a wall. No one is allowed to enjoy said toy without permission. Therefore, a fight ensues and the toy is either used as a weapon or it’s thrown across the room. If it survives, the fight continues. If it breaks, well it can go one of two ways… they forget about it and call a truce. Or they scream, cry and use the blame game.
Oh well…. I love these kids. If that means I have to deal with extreme emotions every once in a while, it’s worth it. I won’t be in charge when they’re actually teenagers. That’s all you, parents!