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That Wonderful Third Year
The Thrills and Joys of Parenting a 2-year-old
By Shannon McKelden
The joy of doing and trying new things isn't limited to physical activities, though. Everything is an adventure in the third year of your child's life, from the food he eats, to his choice of play activities and even clothing.
Susan Thompson of Clybucca, New South Wales, Australia, is a mother of five, including a 2-year-old son. "I love ... the excitement in their eyes at something new," she says. "[For instance] the expression on their faces as they try something different in the food category [or] my 2-year-old's obsession with shoes. As soon as he realized he could walk, not crawl, he found a love of them."
Even though your toddler has probably been talking for a while now, she isn't through growing verbally by far.
"Two-year-olds have a big jump in vocabulary," says Dr. Jenn Berman, a therapist and author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy Confident Kids (New World Library, 2007). "Around 30 months of age, kids have their biggest burst in language acquisition. Their verbal ability often goes from 200 to 1,200 words. This new-found ability for children to express themselves is very exciting for parents."
Julie Kelsey of Germantown, Md., really likes that about this age. "My 2 1/2-year-old son can finally tell me what is wrong," she says. "He's able to articulate his needs, which is just so fun. One day, he sat at the top of a slide and said, 'I'm scared.' Wha a wonderful feeling it was to help him work through his fear!"
