It’s funny how children change their behavior when they sense that you are about to discuss a parenting issue.
Hailey was only two weeks away from her fourth birthday when I wrote the original post. Somehow, the opposite of Mercury in Retrograde happened at my home. Thank yous, pleases, yes ma’ams, gentle hands, and how can I assist yous were all in full force. I knew that it was because I planned to write about my experience with my 3-year-old here on my blog.
We were lucky to have the twos. I waited and held my breath when everyone talked about the terrible twos. But it never happened. There were challenges here and there but nothing shocking. Some people said to wait and see if you didn’t get twos you would get threes.
The people were right.
Hailey, at nearly four, was a sweet, thoughtful, and kind girl. (Says her mother). The end of Hailey’s three-year-old year brought some challenges that I didn’t expect to see until she turned 14.
Sometimes, I wondered who this child was and where I went wrong. !
When she was rude to others in front of me, my eyes hurt with embarrassment and frustration. It was hard for me to accept that the traits she embodies, such as kindness, consideration, and respect, had disappeared.