I used to be one of those people who’d roll their eyes at the trendy ‘in’ words, this was no exception when I first heard someone use the word ‘Threenager’ I remember thinking how silly once you get past the terrible two’s it’s all plain sailing.

The sixteen year age gap between my youngest and oldest must have dulled my memory because I had totally forgotten about this stage, where your lovely sweet toddler becomes a demanding unreasonable diva in the blink of eye for the most bizarre of reasons.

Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At breakfast time all hell could break loose because you only put 16 Cheerios in the bowl and they wanted 17 or you brought the wrong spoon, only the special one will do which you spend 10 minutes looking for only to realise you didn’t do the washing up last night, or they want to wear a swimming costume and wellingtons to nursery even though it’s December and the coldest day of the year so far !

You spend all afternoon arguing about the fact that your threenager needs to see the moon, all the assurances that they can see it once it’s night time are just no use they NEED to see the moon now because someone at school saw the moon so they must do the same right this minute.

You try so hard to stifle your laughter, because no matter how demanding they are being some of their theories and demands are highly amusing and quite cleverly thought out.

They insist you must leave them alone to go to the toilet by themselves even though you must be accompanied to the bathroom at all times.

You get told at least five times a day that you are a ‘naughty mummy’ and the phrase ‘I want’ is replaced with ‘I need’.

You will be amazed and horrified at the extent of their over active imagination, they will tell people that you left them in the road on the way home from school or that you left them at home alone (true story).

When you ask for a cuddle they will insist they are a big kid now and you can’t have one, this of course does not apply if they require a cuddle.

I’ve found that the best way to navigate this stage of parenting is with good humour and infinite amounts of patience and of course to keep a record as proof for when they are grown up and have kids of their own.

Do you own a threenager ? what’s the funniest thing they have ever done or said ? leave me a comment I love hearing from you.

Angela x