ak again thanks for great info and amazon link.

T and I have talked about this a little. Some mothers can't distinguish between them and their child so when this stage starts they are furious and controlling about it. They see it as an insult, disobedience.

I think this is where the idea about 'breaking a child's spriit' came from so long ago. It was considered by some to be very important to let the child know ' who's in charge' at this stage or all control would be lost. Many of us suffer from the resulting futility, fear, muddled identity, unloveability, core shame of not being able to be ourselves, experiement with our world, separate, love who we are.

It's so sad because the Terrible Two's are so inappropriately labeled this way. It could just as easily be the Thrilling Two's in acknowledgement of the curiosity and exploration of that age.

Not wanting to let him in. You see it as being a certain way in the future. What if it isn't? What if it's different from how you envision it? How will you know how it will turn out? Only by doing what scares you. Hard though, for sure.