Something has happened during this past week: my child has acquired some irritating personal habits. I never understood too much before when people talked about wanting some time off from their child, but suddenly, I do.
Every question is answered with, “no”; every command is gleefully ignored, often in a way that involves running off in the opposite direction with an inappropriate item; tantrums ensue at any opportunity, most of them with totally unclear origins; and, though you’d think she’d be annoyed with me, too, she nonetheless wants to hang on me constantly.
At first I thought she could be ill, but I’m beginning to think that this is just something that sometimes happens to 18-month-olds. She has ideas, and she isn’t going to compromise on them. While that’s very nice for her, I, personally, would like to get some things done around here, and without a very short person snatching all the flowers off my new plantings, or hiding the phone, or thrashing about, screaming, because a) I washed her hands and then b) I stopped washing her hands.
My husband is entirely unsympathetic. “How can you be annoyed with her? She’s just a baby!” Yeah, well, if you act annoying, then I will get annoyed with you, too, buddy. In fact, I just did.
This phase only lasts a week or so, right? And then she’ll be a compliant, sensible, independent angel-baby once more, until she’s off to college?
