Max is 3 1/2 and for months I've been anticipating the dreaded 3 1/2 year old "disequilibrium phase" (http://askmoxie.org/blog/2008/09/3-12-year-olds-and-the-pain-they-cause.html). We were reaching the tail end of June and I began to think, "We're past the half year mark! Max isn't going to turn from a mostly-tractable, sweet, independent little boy into the whiny, emotional rollercoaster-y, defiant, crazed beast predicted for this age. Hurrah!"
Well, obviously as soon as I thought such a silly thing, the very next day, or so it seemed, he hit the mark. Mostly its defiance mixed with unreasonable demands and refusal to follow regular routines. Add a dash of bipolar-like mood swings, all aimed primarily in my direction. Example:
Upon my refusal to allow him to eat Fruit Loops for lunch,
Max: I WANT THEM!!!!!
Me(in a normal tone): That's not a healthy lunch and please don't yell at me.
Max: Just lower your voice and DIE Mommy.
Taking a break (ie: time out) (mostly because I needed about 20 deep breaths), crying, apologizing, asking if I was mad at him, "I wuv you Mommy"ing ensued. A similar scene happens about 15 times a day. Wine would really help, but thanks to Baby Dos, that's out of the question. It does help slightly to know its a phase, its normal, it too shall pass, blah blah blah.
On the positive side, my patience retention skills are getting exercised, and in between the psychotic episodes are some really lovely times. He has a great sense of humor (even if most of his jokes revolve around poop and pee), is an excellent helper (when in the mood), has a huge and complex imagination, wants to snuggle and cuddle and hug and kiss us endlessly, knows more about animals, bugs and dinosaurs than me, and has gotten braver and much more adept in social situations.
This emerging behavior coincided with a 3-day trip to Milwaukee to visit my brother and his girlfriend and some of our extended family. Despite the sass, we had a pretty great time:
Helping Uncle Jordan mow the lawn
Doc showing Max the proper technique for picking strawberries:
Enjoying the harvest
Strawberry porn. I got a little carried away and ended up with 10 lbs of strawberries.
On the way home we went to the Door County Renaissance Faire. Jousting, good food, magicians, terrible British accents and lots of people dressed in chain mail made for an entertaining afternoon. Also, a tip for other parents; a $5 wooden sword leads to hours of happiness.
Sir Max, slaying the dragon:
This guy was waiting for us on our patio door when we got home. Max was so excited. He's been waiting to see a luna moth for weeks. Looks like this one has a torn wing but after a day of resting on our screen he flew away into the night.
