Raising a 2 Year Old

With our recent bout of sickness and Cohen being 2.5, we've had some rough days. He is exerting his new found need for independence, but is also unsure of himself. He will be in bed crying to get up and the minute I get him up, he cries to go back to bed. Repeat x15.

 I have taken up coffee drinking in the last week. Like, real coffee, out of the coffee pot! It has been a test of my patience caring for my two sick boys and having one in the trying stages of 2 year old land. He wants to do things himself but also wants to "see Mommy" constantly. We are learning how to deal with pushing boundaries and getting into discipline issues. We are struggling to handle running away when told to do something, not responding when being told "no" and on and on and on.

My days feel like constant battles. It's tiring. He seems like such a big boy and is learning about independence and how to do more things on his own. But I still have to remind myself that he's just a little boy. He's 2 and a half years old, but he's only 2.5 years old. While he seems like a big boy, he's still learning and growing and changing and I want to support him through this and so many other things to come. I know there are days when I just expect too much out of him. I expect him to be perfect and listen every time. I have to remind myself that he's just a little boy. And I am his mom and he needs me to reassure, support, and encourage him to be more independent and to make decisions that will help him.

I love this 2 year old. We knew we had a strong willed boy on our hands. We learned that the day he was born, full of fight and spunk. But he can always make me smile. Like when I tell him that we need to fix his undies and he says "Go get the screwdriver!" Man I'm thankful for that fight, but it is a challenge!