Anyone else with 3 year olds? Anyone else going crazy?

[4Marmalade]

They are out of control.  It is just one long day of them feeding off each other.  They have a crazy amount of energy.  Everything is just silly hysterics and they are getting into so much trouble.  My dd is definitely the ring leader.  I just had to wipe down the whole bathroom again after they played in the toilet while I did 5 minutes of dishes.  Yesterday they squirted enough hand soap into each others hair that we had to wash them and wipe down the very slippery bathroom.  Yah I know, we need to keep them out of the bathroom and I know all kids do this to some extent but I think only one would give up a lot sooner if they didn't have someone else laughing and egging them on the entire time.

There is no reason for this post other than to make sure it's not just me going crazy.  It's like we're going through all the same stuff we did at age 1-2 while we taught them the "rules".  Only now they know the rules, they just don't care and think it's hilarious while they run around breaking the rules.  I'm scared to go upstairs and see what might have happened during the 5 minutes it took me to write this.  Wish me luck .

[kjoy2]

Yup.  yup. yup.  Whoever coined the term 'terrible twos' never had a three year old - or,  better yet, two of them at once!  The twos were fun and funny.  The threes can be so infuriating!  They swing from happy as clams to fiery screaming devils in 1 second flat.  Mine aren't so much mischief makers as mood swingers and nap fighters.  And I am so sick of repeating something 10x before it happens.

Mine now go to an afternoon preschool 3 days a week.  Mama score!!!  

 

Good luck to all of us!!! 

[~bookcase~]

3's r definitely worse than 2's

[allicyn]

I agree 3 is so much worse than 2. Dd was awful at 3, but 4 has been pretty easy. Ds is turning 3 in February, and I'm scared! I haven't gotten as far as to think I'll have two 3 year olds some day! yikes!!

[Spring Lily]

With my singleton, 3 was way harder than 2, and 4 was no picnic either. My twins are just 3 and I haven't seen a big change yet, but I'm already bracing myself for when it hits.

The bathroom really is a major problem. When I tell them to wash their hands for meals I always have to go in and check on them because inevitably there are towels thrown around the room, a soapy puddle on the floor, and for some reason the hand sanitizer and soap disappear at an alarming rate. They still like to use their potty chairs, too, and the worst is when they think they're now big enough to dump them and clean them out without my help. I haven't figured out how to limit their bathroom access AND allow for using the potty and washing hands...I guess I've given up to the messes for now. The worst was one day when DS got into the locked cabinet and sprayed watered down bleach all over the bathtub. Very scary, but luckily I smelled it and came running! I think I didn't fasten the childproof lock securely enough.

[sept2008twingirls]

Yes, my girls just turned 3.  They are getting a little better about making messes, but now are just being more stubborn and doing things more slyly.  Plus, the fighting!  I'm so tired of the fighting!  I feel like the only time that they don't fight is when I put on a video for them...They are only small once though, right.  I just try and enjoy them as much as I can.

Sarah

[4Marmalade]

Thanks.  At least I'm not alone .  The other day I had to run an errand I've been putting off (renewing drivers licence) because I knew it would be chaotic.  Sure enough I had the two of them wrestling on the floor by my feet while I was getting my picture taken.  Seems like we're in survival mode more and more when we're in public. 

Spring Lily - I hear you on the bathroom thing.  I am forever saying "one squirt, just one squirt" when it comes to the soap.  It's a struggle because they are just toilet trained and I'm so happy they'll run off and take care of things on their own but half the time I don't know they're in there and then come by later to a huge mess.

sept2008twingirls - the fighting can be crazy.  My two are the best of friends most of the time (which leads to half the trouble) but if one does something the other doesn't want...look out.  But I would take these two fighting over my older two bickering.  They just about put me over the edge . 

I know they're only young once and I do try to enjoy that but I've been in a funk lately and sometimes it just seems like I've been in the trenches for too long.   

[Shuli]

Yes, I remember the threes well - it was just two months ago, actually  :-) I have one who is taller than the other and they really like doing things "team work" style. Luckily, the way the house is built I have the computer where I work from home set up in the den across from the bathroom, so I can hear before anything happens.  The boys were also really into soap until we got a stool for the kitchen, now they are only allowed to wash their hands in the kitchen. My favourite was when they did manage to get ahold of the hand soap and used an entire bottle on the back porch washing all the toys including the paddling pool, the scooter and the slide with sponges they found under the sink that the almost two year old managed to open. At least I was able to hose them and everything else down. The baby loves toilet paper and tearing it into little pieces. I'm just glad she hasn't figured out that if you put the end into the toilet and flush it all rolls out like the boys did - although she's not really tall enough to reach yet.

No, you are so not alone! I find that 4s are sometimes harder because our boys have opinions and are not afraid to share them and one of my boys is an "old soul" and forgets that he's only 4 and not 10. He hates to be reminded, but 4 year olds are not able to cut their own apples  and there have been many times where I have cleaned up the remenants of making a sandwich. Sigh. They are also what I call frienemies, best friends, worst enemies. They are great together until one gets bored or does something to upset the other one and now that hey have a full command of language, they are able to bicker and argue over nothing. I'm looking forward to the teenage years. They are only little once and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible without yelling too much.

[tink79]

Mine are four now, but omg yes, the three's were crazy.  Just an encouraging word, although they are still their crazy selves, four has tamed them because they can sit for longer periods of time and are more engaged in doing projects (coloring, cutting paper-their newest obession! LOL, reading and playing).  The comradery that made them such stinkers also makes them amazing playmates, they can play imaginatively together for hours at a time, something that my older DD needed a friend (or me) to do.

[nd_deadhead]

We found 4 to be a turning point. We went on a 10-day vacation to the west coast just after they turned 4, and had a great time! I couldn't imagine doing the same thing at 3 - none of us would have lived (sane) to tell about it.

Hang in there - it DOES get better!

[DiannaK]

I must be the only crazy one here, but Lordy be, I think 3 is so much easier in my house with my guys.  They still create loads of havoc,mbut they can at least talk to me now, and I can understand them. They seem less frustrated with getting their points across. And, they are potty trained, so that's a huge relief. 

[dknees]

I"m late coming to this thread, but I totally agree. My house is CHAOS with 3 year old twins. Not that it ever was calm, but OMG!

[rinap]

You guys are making me nervous about the future. :)

[Julia'sMom]

I almost cried readying this thread.  :)  I was just coming to vent about my teething two-year olds.  If I could sleep, it would be so much more manageable...and now you say three is worse.  Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh!    Note to self:  only 1.5 more years before they go to school and Mommy has an hour alone, only 1.5 more years. . .

[mom_of_steele]

Oh my heck I was JUST thinking the same thing! I was seriously coming on here (after not being on here in forever) JUST to see if others were having the same problems...or if MY twins were just total hellions! And my mirror image identical twin BOYS just turned 2 in October! Yeah I was also just freaking out when I read that 3 was much worse! I sincerely hope not for their sake LOL (or I'll just have to hire a nanny and up my anti-depressants! Haha) Seriously, some days I am just like...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?! And every one of my neighbors and friends makes fun of the fact that I have EVERYTHING in my house either childproofed or duct taped (including their diapers)! AND to top it off, they are both "legally blind" without their glasses, so that's a whole other dynamic to the frustrations. We are at the optical department seriously sometimes every day or every other day having their glasses put back together. They are like the freaking energizer bunny! And on top of that, they have a 4 year old sister who is ALSO the busiest and hyperist (if that is even a word) little thing that most of my friends or family have seen (who also deals with a lot of medical issues...do that's great). I finally just had to separate the boys and put their cribs in different rooms because EVERY single night they would take their crib sheets off, take their pjs off, grab their blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and EVERYTHING and throw them in the middle of the room, so they would go to sleep in just their diapers (only because they were duct taped, which they have still managed to rip off every now and then and poop in the crib) on just their plastic crib mattress. So as soon as they were asleep I would have to go in there, slide a blanket underneath them, and put one on top of them so they wouldn't sweat to death on the bottom and freeze to death on the top. Just as an example of the things they do CONSTANTLY: They dumped a HUGE bottle of dawn dish soap out in the 30 seconds it took me to go out to the garage and make sure my daughter had shut the van door all the way, they have gotten into our pack of 5 dozen eggs and cracked them all over the tile floor several times, I am always fishing things out of the top load washer and the disposal in the kitchen sink like their glasses, diapers, toys...you name it. They have gotten into a huge tub of vaseline and smeared it all over themselves, their hair, their glasses, the carpet, the walls and the tile...Poured syrup all the the kitchen walls, table and in their hair and all down their bodies. They are CONSTANTLY pushing the kitchen chairs up to everything in the kitchen to climb, play in the microwave, freezer, etc. Even buckled into their boosters at the table, the two of them will completely TURN my kitchen table and push it to the other side of the kitchen and scoot themselves over to it. They can never eat anything in a bowl without sticking it on top of their heads toward the end of mealtime whether they are done with the food in it or not. One of them I am pretty sure has night terrors and tons of other sleep issues and OCD issues. They both bite themselves or hit themselves when they get mad or frustrated. They are so OCD that they absolutely wig out and have a meltdown if my husband gets in the driver seat instead of me, because that's "not how it normally is". For a while there, one of them learned that since his diaper was duct taped, he would just pull his "self" out the side and take a nap that way so he would pee ALL over his crib sheets (which I swear I am washing almost daily). I mean geez, we have a child lock on our fridge, the dishwasher, the toilet seats, the light switches, every door...you would think they couldn't do anything, but alas...mommy with ADHD sometimes forgets to put something away, and leave it up to them to find the ONE thing they could make trouble with. I have sorta lately started to get a litte more of a handle on it since I have had more down time from my part time photography business. And I honestly have really, really been able to enjoy them lately and their cute little things they do. They are such a blessing and I do love them so much and wouldn't take one away for anything! BUT...sometimes running into other twin moms in the store that act like theirs were just angels and they are hoping they are pregnant with twins again just really floors me sometimes ya know?

Originally Posted by Julia'sMom 

I almost cried readying this thread.  :)  I was just coming to vent about my teething two-year olds.  If I could sleep, it would be so much more manageable...and now you say three is worse.  Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh!    Note to self:  only 1.5 more years before they go to school and Mommy has an hour alone, only 1.5 more years. . .

[~Adorkable~]

ok now I'm getting a bit worried too. and here i am wanting to get preggo again with my 1 year old that really are pretty easy going, will i be eating my words in a few years more than i thought i would...

[little birds]

Oh, no... Don't want to think about three! We used to get out at least once a day, but i'm already leaving the house less and less with my 2 1/2 year olds. It's just such a pain! They want to grab everything in the store, fight in the shopping cart... It's so much less stress to stay home (except for nap time). Just moved to a new house with a big garden, so we will be busy with that in the coming months. I find that the more work I have to do around the house that they can "help" with (especially outside), the easier the day goes for us. It's hard not to let them get bored. That's trouble

[SunshineH]

Mine are 3 in a few weeks.  Some things are better, some things not. 

What's better:  they communicate so well.  They sleep all night.  They play really well together.  I love to watch them help each other.  They can walk from the car and to the car (not always reliably, but I don't have to carry them anymore.)  They like to play outside in the snow this year.  They like books and coloring.

The nots: they climb out of the stroller which I relied on a lot to get places.  I'm too nervous to take them some places without DH.  DD has started tantrums.  Like 20 minute long tantrums over things like the wrong sippy cup, wanting a something she can't have.  Potty training.  2 at once isn't so easy.  Napping.  Sometimes they do, sometimes not, and we're getting to the hard transition to no nap stage.  DS is a much better napper than DD, so if he naps, she doesn't always.  DD gets picked on my DS and big brother who's almost 5.  They don't let her play 'boy things'. 

When people ask if it's harder/easier, I often answer that it's just different...

[Spring Lily]

SuneshineH, I have the same problem of not getting out as much anymore. They want to ride in the stoller, but after a few minutes they want to get out. I almost hurt DS the other day because we were at a museum and I was looking at something while I walked and didn't notice that he'd suddenly decided to slide out of the front of the stroller. Suddenly the stroller hit something and I looked down and DS's leg is stuck underneath the stroller, and he's annoyed that I ran him over. It is just about impossible to go anywhere because they can't commit to walking or riding.

Potty training. 2 at once isn't so easy. Napping. Sometimes they do, sometimes not, and we're getting to the hard transition to no nap stage.

Yep, that's where we are with the napping, too. DS still needs a nap most days, but DD rarely wants one (or else she needs one but fights me on it and I spend 20 minutes saying "SHHH! Please don't wake up your brother!").

Potty training happened when they were 2, which is one of the reasons I don't think 3 has been much harder than 2 for us. It's just all a blur of hard!

What I've noticed with 3 though is that they egg each other on even more than they used to. So the messes and stuff can get even wilder. DD especially is so engaged in pretend play that it's gotten difficult to bring her back to reality for a few minutes.

Sample conversation of what' we're dealing with:
Me: DD, it's time for dinner, go take off your dress up clothes and wash your hands.
DD: No, I not (DD's name), I Princess Maloola. I wear fancy dresses.
Me: Ok, Princess Maloola, I'm the Queen and I say we can't wear fancy dresses at the royal table.
DD: No, I a PRINCESS, I wear FANCY DRESSES.
Me: Please wash your hands, Princess.
DD: Ok, but first I go to the Ball.
Me: You have to eat before you go to the Ball.
DD: Here's my magic wand! (waltzing off to go to the Ball)
Me: Princesses have to have clean hands, they like to be clean.
DD: (ignoring me) I need to go put on my high heels.
Me (after 5 more minutes of this) Take the dress off and wash your hands by yourself or I will do it!
DD: No, I said I a PRINCESS!!! I have to go to the BALL!
Me: That's it, I'm taking your dress off.
DD: (screaming and flailing and turning into a limp noodle)

The pretend play is sweet and cute and I love it, but sometimes I need her to just go along with my reality, you know?

[GPTwins08]

I was until I changed the way we did everything. I re-did our indoor play space which is also our living room http://graham-and-parker.blogspot.com/2012/01/where-we-play-inside-play-enviornment.html
I also changed a lot in out outdoor play area. I changed how our schedule was and how we play. We are doing more learning through play than anything. I added more art, more options and organized everything really well.