In praise of 2 year olds

It's really easy to get into the habit of complaining about terrible twos/tantrums/early starts/being tired all the time. I have to confess that our terrible-2-year-old is not so terrible, as they go, although she has her moments. And, a more embarrassing confession, I have been inspired to write this post by watching DIY SOS this week. **hides face in shame**

Still with me? The family featured on DIY SOS had twins born really prematurely, leaving one with cerebral palsy, who will never sit let alone move unaided, and one less ill but still fragile. They reminded me that while life with a small child may feel hard sometimes, my life is a breeze compared to families who go through that kind of illness or difficulty, whether in the short or long term. So I thought, time to celebrate a few of the things which are amazing about 2 year olds.

Like seeing the wonders of the world - as Rachel's bath drained tonight, she lay in it watching the way the water spiralled down the plughole, absolutely fascinated. When I stop trying to rush her from one place to another, it's so nice to be part of the process of learning about the world and the way she wonders at it!

The start of conversation - when speech suddenly moves from disjointed words into full sentences and you have a little person you can chat with! Particularly hearing Rachel have a conversation on the phone with Daddy when he's not going to be home until after she goes to bed.

Singing...waking up at 6am is sweetened by the fact that we are generally woken by a rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Every time she sees a bus she sings Wheels on the Bus (all verses). She sings songs I don't even know (bonus of nursery!), and is generally word perfect after just a couple of times of hearing a song.

Reading and books...whilst I've always been pretty convinced of the benefits of reading (possible understatement, see other blog!), we are already starting to see the impact of reading. Rachel knows words and phrases that she can only have picked up from reading (phrase of the day: Something smells delicious! as her tea cooked), and is starting to recite books along with us when we read them. Sometimes she even recites books when she doesn't have the book in front of her.It's cute, but it's also reassuring that there is a point to spending time doing these things!

Relationships...not only does she ask to see adults, family, etc, but this is the age where you start to see real little friendships starting with other children. It's just so nice to see your child choosing to play with your friends' children, and starting to interact rather than simply playing alongside.

Imaginative play - I didn't realise it started this early, but Rachel can play pretend games for hours, whether it be dolls house, happy land, or pretending to go to sleep/wakeup/sleep/wakeup etc time after time under a makeshift duvet!

So, amongst tantrums (don't want to put shoes on, haven't got shoes on, have got the wrong shoes on...) I think 2 is a great age so far. And a pretty beautiful one too: