Day 2: The "I'm my own person" months

Our spunky Lucy is 18 months old and following perfectly in her sister's developmental footsteps she has entered into the zone. Some call it the terrible twos, which I really think is a rotten way to talk about a person so I avoid that term.  However, earlier in the week she had a moment.  A moment in which she did not want to get dressed and she let me know.  It was a full out flailing on the floor, turning red, fit.  The girls have seen small bits of this behavior but this was the first tantrum they'd witnessed.  They were wide eyed and offering all sorts of appeasements to their baby sister.  I explained to them what was going on and how this was a normal part of her development and that it was ok, we had to expect this  (all the while I was thinking, yes, Melissa, normal behavior, must stay calm, must expect this).   Eleanor quizzically asked "So, you're happy about her screaming and rolling around?".  Ahem, so maybe I went a bit far in the "we must embrace this behavior" talk.   I  told them some people call it the terrible twos but I think we should call it something else. We couldn't come up with anything catchy and Lucy went back to being adorable so we went downstairs for breakfast.  At which point Emma turned and said "Mom, it's the I'm my own person months, she's just trying to tell us that but can't get it into words".  Today I'm thankful that I'm raising three girls who are their own people and I pray I'll always remember to give them the space to be just that.

If her sister's are doing it, she's pretty sure that means she should be too.  Why yes, that is a huge glob of my good face lotion on her head.  I had no idea that it was sticky in large quantities.