Leave it to Brittni

I was remarking to friends recently how interesting it is to watch my children’s innate personalities manifest after birth. When it comes to nature vs. nurture, I’m always quick to rattle off a myriad of reasons in support of the nurture side of things. I suppose it’s some way for me to feel in control of every situation. But working with my kids teaches me time and time again that crap happens whatever is inside is bound to come out.

Take my 3-year-old for instance. My youngest is a walking, talking example of When You Make Plans, God Laughs. It’s not just her surprise conception. Or, the fact that she came out penis-less when she mimicked every craving, emotion and ache that her brother’s previous birth had produced. It’s more the fact that despite our loving and patient guidance she insists on being a complete and total lunatic in public.

I’m not a parent that’s easily embarrassed, mind you. Nose picking, flatulence and questions about anatomy in front of strangers hardly cause me to bat an eye, really. My toddler though finds the most unique ways to ruffle my feathers. She’s strategic and possesses a particular set of skills. Skills she’s acquired over a short life. Skills that make her a nightmare for a person like me.

Parker, in action.

Parker is a hard 3, I’ll tell anyone that. She’s at that weird stage where she communicates near perfectly but is still frustrated by not being granted full autonomy. She understands how some rules work but isn’t able to rationalize why they should apply to her. So most days she spends her free time giving me crap for being the authority figure that’s making her life so hard. So basically, she’s a threenager.

I love all of my little monsters angels, there’s no question of that. But being a stay at home mom to that littlest kid can make a mama lose her mind. While laughing with my own mom about it (she was doing all the laughing, mind you) I realized there are so many things that other people hate that are still better than my kid throwing a tantrum.

In fact, the more I thought about, I realized there are at least 8 Things Less Annoying Than My Threenager During a Tantrum. Don’t believe me? Keep reading over Atlanta Moms Blogs!