Age 3 revisited

I've been feeling guilty all week for maligning and cursing the poor little ol' innocent never-hurt-a-fly age of three. I don't want to plant the seed in people's head that it's a horrible time of adversity and unpleasantness, BUT, I also want to stay committed to truthfulness so that people that read this blog won't think it's always sunshine and buttercups and puppies and rainbows over here at Kami HQ, or so people won't have to feel so alone when their kids are being cantankerous...
but anyway I have been feeling bad for portraying 3 as all around bad, which it ain't in the leastest. It's also language explosion, independence, real true strong personality striving to come out to shine, super cute and amazingly funny, strong, fierce, cuddly, and your sweet beautiful baby beginning to leap out to make their mark on this world.

Anyway, of course the universe (and Scott Noelle) would send me the perfect message at the perfect time... This daily groove was in my inbox this morning:

:: Terrible Two's & Rebellious Teens... NOT! ::

(Continued from yesterday -- full text at
http://dailygroove.net/terrible-not )

Developmentally, toddlers and Teens have one thing
in common: they're on the verge of a quantum leap in
personal autonomy. They're on a mission to become
*themselves* -- to get in touch with their Inner Power
more than ever before.

Anytime they feel imposed upon or coerced, that
mission is blocked, and they instinctively protest.
In nature-based, pleasure-oriented, partnership
cultures, such protests are rarely triggered, so
terrible two's and teen rebellions rarely occur.

But in our anti-nature, control-oriented culture,
parents are expected (if not required *by law*) to
oppose or control children's natural developmental
impulses toward personal empowerment, which
guarantees the terribles!

The shift from terrible to terrific begins with your
commitment to creative partnership. Then, whenever
your child exhibits "terrible" behavior, you can
re-interpret it as evidence of his or her unfolding
autonomy, and ask yourself this:

"How can I use my creativity
to support my child's growth
in a way that works for ALL of us?"