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Terrible Twos

 My son has entered the terrible twos. The shrieking and tantrums are "a thing," now.


Bedtime is difficult. There can be rending of garments; sometimes, Josh tries to swat at my face. (I know, if I were a blue-ribbon Anne Lamott-level parent, I would firmly and clearly explain to Josh why swatting is not OK, but maybe that can wait a bit.)

A good thing has grown out of the drama. I did some Google reading about this particular phase of "sleep conflict." And Google said: Don't just coo or hand over a teddy bear. Whether or not your child can fully understand: Explain that you're just around the corner, and you'll keep checking in every five minutes until he sleeps. Then, actually, stick to that five-minute schedule.

Oddly enough, this seems to work.

My great hope is that, eventually, Josh will walk around school, or a workplace, with a calm voice in his head--a product of many, many hours of (his parents') therapy--and the voice will say, "You've been in situations like this before. It isn't all that difficult to cope. Nothing is permanent."

For now, though, we'll focus on bedtime.
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