The Truth About Toddlers, part 2

After my last post my mom said to me "Wow, you must have had quite the day yesterday!" So, in all fairness to the Toddlers, I feel the need to write The Truth About Toddlers, part 2.

You'll recall that when you have Toddler(s), you don't have time to read parenting books. Well, that's because you are too busy playing Babies with your daughter and helping her put a diaper on your old Cabbage Patch Kid.

And you just have to read Where the Wild Things Are just one more time to your son.

And the sidewalk chalk looks way more fun than playing inside. And you just have to sign up for a music class and a story class and an art class. And take a trip to the Y a few times a week.

And who can resist taking a dip in the wading pool? Or digging in the sand?

Sometimes there's even a perfect evening like tonight. You take your kids to the park and they run around giggling. They gather pinecones. They pick up sticks. They hug some trees (seriously!). They pick dandelions and spin in circles in the grass until they are so dizzy they can't walk straight.

Life is good with toddlers.

And even when you tire of all the things at home that keep you from reading those toddler books,  when you have Toddler(s), you're very social. They like to be around other kids. You like to be around other moms of Toddlers. You go on playdates, head to the park, take a class, meet the neighbors, explore museums & zoos. It's a very high energy, high fun time in life.

And those Toddlers. Holy cow are they sweet! They do things like hug and kiss and make friends with everything nearby. Even statues of famous monkeys:

And they develop senses of humor! You think they are hilarious. And they think you are hilarious. It's a total boost for the ego!

And they are just so darn cute. You can't help but love them. Toddlers are a strange mix of baby features (chubby cheeks, big guts, bald heads and full round thighs) and kid features (mouths full of teeth, big stinky feet, long arms and legs) that you can't help but want to kiss and hug them all day long. And most of the time they will let you.

To me, right now, Toddlers are the perfect human beings. They're full of love and wonder. They want to learn and grow. And even when they do something they don't like, it doesn't take long for them to change their mind:

I also might be biased, but of all the toddlers out there, I got the best 2 of them all. How did I get so darn lucky? They are perfect. And I love them. Even when they throw food, run away when I want to change their diapers and scream a bit in the store. Those moments are few and fleeting. The real stuff is the good stuff. And I love the real stuff.