Day 3: The terrible 3’s

The title refers not to how day 3 without Jon went (it was average) but to Seth, who seems to be headed for Terrible Threes. One of my friends once told me that she thinks kids tend to alternate good/bad years, and we’ve found it to be roughly true for our kids too, at least while they are small. Seth had a rotten period between 12-24 months (not sleeping, little self-control, into everything, wailing like a banshee, Mr. Destructo), but his behavior improved dramatically at age 2. Now, a month into age 3, he’s back at it again, except he’s a year older and wiser.

Let’s take tonight’s drama as an example. The background for this story is that Seth has to go pooh potty every night exactly 11 minutes after the start of dinner. Usually, it’s a race to see what happens first – Mommie finishing dinner, or Seth making the poop face.

The other background on this story is that Seth has been washing his hands BY HIMSELF after going potty for the last few weeks. Actually, we often find him in there, mid-hand-wash, coated with soap and happy as a clam, not ready to finish the job anytime soon. So let’s amend the above to say that he’s been “GLEEFULLY washing his hands BY HIMSELF” for the past few weeks.

For the past couple days, however, Seth’s been making a big production of NOT being able to wash his own hands. Here’s tonight’s transaction after going potty:

Me: Seth, please wash your hands.

Seth, standing on his hand-washing stool: I caaaannnn’t

Me, walking away: Seth, wash your hands and then you can finish your yogurt.

Seth: I caaaaannnnn’t. I can’t reeeeaaaach.

The wailing continues for several minutes. I hear water running but the wailing does not abate. I walk in to discover Seth actually patting the soap, but still wailing:

Seth: I caaaan’t reeaaach the soaaaap.

Me: You are touching the soap, Seth.

Seth: I caaaannn’t reaaaaaach the soaaaap.

I leave again. Seth “falls” to the floor, and begins to wail that he’s fallen and can’t get up – another recently discovered ploy. I tell him to come for a hug when he’s ready, which he does immediately. At the end of the hug, I suggest he wash his hands.

Seth: I caaaaannnn’t.

Me: Once you wash your hands, you can blow out the candles*

Seth: Oh. OK.

He then scampers into the bathroom, we hear water running, and he emerges 30 seconds later fresh and clean.

So as you can see, he’s learned toddler manipulation tactics – somewhere, somehow, I wonder exactly from whom, big sister Nora???? Luckily, Mommie still has some tricks. But he is steadily gaining on me.

*it’s Simchat Torah, lest you think we dine with candles every night.