The Terrible 2's, Times 2

     When God answers prayers, sometimes he doesn't answer them the way we would have expected.  At some point in my life I must have prayed for patience.  I can't remember when, but I'm sure it had to do with my daughter.  I imagined that the answer to this prayer would feel like a great blanket of calmness coming over me.  Instead, he blessed me with twins, and with them an abundance of lessons in patience.

     As I am writing this post, Preston is standing in the corner.  He snatched a toy from his brother.  Right now, in between a lot of hyperventalating and sobbing, it sounds a lot like this:

"Mommy, I wanna talk to you.  Please Mommy, I wanna talk to you.  Mommy, I'll stop crying. I'll stop crying, Mommy.  Please, Please, Please."

     Then there is a pause, almost long enough for me to start the timer, and for this to be over.  But it starts again, still in between all the sobbing and screaming:

"Mommy, I need to eat.  I'm hungry, please, I'm so hungry, Mommy.  Please Mommy, I need to to eat.  Please Mommy, I'll stop crying.  I need to talk to you.  Mommy, I'm so hungry"

     Meanwhile, Alex is chirping his brother.  He's careful not to talk to him, and wind up in the corner himself.  But his end of this ordeal, in a very matter-of-fact manner, sounds something like this:

"Mommy, Preston can't have any milk.  Preston can't eat.  Preston needs to stop screaming.  Preston took my toy.  Preston wouldn't share with me.  Preston should stop crying.  He needs to stand in the corner, Mommy.  He wouldn't share with me."

     Finally, after 45 minutes of someone pressing the repeat button on those 3 quotes, Preston stops crying, sobbing, sniffling, etc.  Complete quiet, long enough to count.  I let him out of the corner to come talk to me about sharing and not grabbing toys.  They go on to play together laughing and sharing and playing with the dogs.  Happiness restored.  But I know to expect these events another 5 or 6 times, each of them, before bedtime tonight.

     I've often thought about praying for God to protect my sanity as we go through this season.  But I am afraid of what the answer to that prayer may look like.