Terrified or Terrorizing

10 minutes before Sarah leaves. Can I publish my first entry in more than a week before the hourglass runs out of sand? (8 minutes)
A number of people have told me "terrible two" is a misnomer, it actually starts way before that. Mia is going through a phase where she is really scared by a lot more things - the door chime, Sam barking, a parent leaving the room for 10 seconds. (I guess she can't be expected to know it will only be 10 seconds, can she?) Every upset gets loud crying, big tears, and a red face. Reassuring her doesn't seem to help much, instead we have to distract her long enough for her to forget she was crying. (6 minutes)
On the flip side, Mia is doing a great job of terrorizing living beings. Her transgressions are often accompanied by a sidewise glance (See what I can do?) and a sinister giggle. We're trying to get her to stop throwing things. She has progressed from throwing food and eating utensils to books and toys. Really annoying. This morning she threw a wooden shoe tree (Jeff's = big) just as the dog was passing by. Ouch. We try to practice "positive discipline", but I think we've got a few things to learn. (3 minutes)
And then there are her bold new daredevil acts. The newest one is climbing the stairs on the outside of the handrail. Leave her for 90 seconds to use the powder room and she can get 6 steps high. At one level, we're impressed at how quickly her gross motor skills are developing, but we have to put on the stern face and say, "Feet on the floor". (That is positive discipline talk for "Get down before I do something I'll regret!) (Time's up!)