Life Changes

We've had some big changes at our house. I have joined the ranks of the unemployed, if you can call caring for a 2-year-old while looking for a new job "unemployed." My company had a restructuring and lots of jobs were eliminated. I was giving the option of reducing my hours or taking a severance package. After doing the math, it was clear that after 13 years, it was time to move on. Mia is now attending preschool four days a week instead of two, to give me time to look for a job. We were sorry to lose Sarah, but as it turns out her boyfriend has been transferred to Colorado Springs and she will be moving there in May.
Mia has been demonstrating classic "terrible two" behavior for the past month. (Remind me to tell you the one about the evacuation drill during our recent cruise vacation.) Time-outs haven't been working - Mia turns them into a game of "Ha ha, I'm not going to sit on this chair and you can't make me! If you pick me up and put me back on the chair, I like the extra attention!" (Thankfully, Mia's teachers tell me she is quite well-behaved at preschool.) I've been studying my child development books, which help me understand some of the likely root causes for the behavior, but don't offer much in the way of tips for handling the situation. Finally I decided to consult my sister Paula, whose children are remarkably well behaved. I mean that literally. People walk up to her in public places and remark on how nicely her children handle themselves. Paula gave me some suggestions that are challenging for me to implement but they do seem effective. My friend Linda has been a sympathetic ear as well. When I tell her about some of the things my little darling has been doing, she helps me regain my sense of humor about it.
But, let's get back to the positives. Mia and I are spending much more time together and we're getting closer. We're making progress on toilet training. Mia constantly amazes me with how quickly she is learning new words and concepts. Bottom-line, we have a healthy little girl who is really talented at testing limits. Maybe she'll become a lawyer, or a test pilot.