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The Terrific Twos
10 Reasons to Cherish Toddlerhood
By Becky Lane
With a name like "the terrible twos," the toddler years often get a bad rap. But this time in your child's life is actually full of wonderfully memorable moments. Don't believe me? Check out this list of 10 reasons to cherish toddlerhood.
If there's ever a time to take advantage of the hugs and kisses, it's when your child is a toddler. No one knows how to plant a kiss or give a great big bear hug like a toddler. "Nothing beats a toddler's hug – who knew those chubby little arms could squeeze you so hard?" says Becky Dell'Alba of Jacksonville, Fla., a mother of three.
Ann Travis of Waxhaw, N.C., agrees. "I love it when they, out of nowhere, come up with a big bear hug and an 'I love you, Mommy,'" says the mother of two. "It's so unsolicited and genuine it melts your heart."
Of course it can be frustrating when you're in a hurry and your child insists on zipping up his own jacket (even though he's not yet capable of getting the zipper started). But sometimes that budding toddler independence can be refreshing when you've had to do every little thing for your little darling during the past two years of his life.
And what about when you get out the door? "He can walk on his own in a store!" says Amy Doverspike of her toddler son. This feat comes in handy when you're also toting around a baby, as is this Erie, Pa., mom of two.
Listening to a toddler's growing language skills can be fascinating, but the best part is the little hiccups that come and go along the way. It makes me smile when my 2 1/2-year-old asks to see the "hamsters" in the seafood section of the grocery store or sees her dad with a drink in his hand and asks if he's having some "beard."
"When we had our third child, a girl, our 3-year-old was fascinated with the anatomical differences between himself and his sister," Dell'Alba says. "He told us one night in the bathtub, 'I have a penis, but Kate has a hyena.'"
