"Good night, -------"

Today didn't start well, and it happened like this within the past two days. Ronin was languishing on the couch with his green blanket and Nikko didn't want Ronin laying in his space. He would start pushing Ronin away, Ronin would scream and whine, then Nikko would pull at Ronin's blanket. Nikko would start swatting at Ronin. Ronin would scream back. Nikko would take a toy away from Ronin. Ronin would scream that he wanted it and would try to run away. Nikko would chase after Ronin. I'd step in and try to redirect Nikko, who would push me away or pull away from my grip. Many times I've had to command Ronin to give up whatever he had so Nikko would stop relentlessly pursuing Ronin and try to hurt him. Many times this morning, even before 8:30a, Nikko wanted whatever Ronin had and tried to grab it from Ronin. It's not fair that Ronin has to give up his toy each and every time, so I'd step in to redirect Nikko. Nikko would struggle against me, whining the whole time, getting hot and sweaty and then clawing at me. My arms would start to ache from holding back a 40-pound boy for minutes at a time. When Nikko would take swipes at me, I'd get really angry and shout at him to never hit ME. Nikko got really upset that I yelled at him and flopped on his bedroom floor crying. Let's just say that with Nikko's relentlessness, Ronin's screaming and whining, and Audrey's ---well, she's a baby girl who mimics whomever is crying the loudest, I felt pretty beat up before 9:00a.

Ronin's "terrible two's" personality is really taking a toll on me. If all two-year olds go through this stage, I truly wonder how some mothers don't tear their hair out. OH, he's only two, you say? He's just a little kid, you say? I swear, he is the cutest little boy, but the whining and screaming over being frustrated or being bullied by Nikko or just for wanting something NOW has driven me to put the earplugs on at multiple times, not just during breakfast. I've been trying to instill some confidence in the boy by praising his efforts, but it's obvious to me that I need to take some drastic measures to calm my own demeanor in reaction to him.

Later in the afternoon, after naps and late lunches, I took the kids to play in the backyard. When Ronin said he wanted to play with the chalk, it was a good opportunity to get messy but creative. We drew some trains on a track, and then I drew a winding road that turned into a racetrack. The boys happily ran around the track, chasing each other and wanting me to join them, which I did. The weather was cool and comfortable, my perfect weather day. It didn't take too much to get the kids to go inside, thank goodness. I was going to put in Monsters Inc. for the kids to watch, but Nikko suddenly took my hand toward the window and said, "Mike?" He was looking for the green monster, Mike Wazowski. I saw him last night in Nikko's room, but I gave him to Ronin to play with and never saw it again. I couldn't find him and Nikko was getting agitated and irritated. I was also irritated that I couldn't locate that silly, one-eyed monster, and that Ronin couldn't remember what he did with it. I had to give up, but still wonder if Mike is buried somewhere in Nikko's room.

After prayers, Denis leaned into Nikko and said, "Good night, Nikko."
Nikko said, "Good night, Daddy."

I was really surprised at this exchange because it was exactly that: AN EXCHANGE. Nikko usually repeats what you tell him, and I expected Nikko to say, "Good night, Nikko." But he said Daddy instead, and quite directly. I tried that too, after singing the good night song.

"Good night, Nikko," I said to him.
"Good night, Mommy," he replied.
"I love you, Nikko," I said.
"I love you, Mommy," Nikko replied back.
"Ok, it's sleepy time."
"Sleepy time," Nikko said, and put the burp cloth over his head.

*WOW!*