It’s easy to write off toddler behaviour as unique but the fact of the matter is that toddlers are just like adults, only smaller. The only difference between them and us is that they get away with it!
As the mother of three young children, I often look at them and think, “yep, I get you. I feel exactly the same”. But it’s just not socially appropriate for me to sit down in the middle of the supermarket and take off my pants because “I just don’t want to wear pants anymore today”.
Here are some of the ways that toddlers are just mini adults…
They get hangry.
For those who may not be familiar with the concept of being ‘hangry’, it’s when your hunger causes you to get angry. Hungry + anger = hangry.
But I get it. When all you can think about is your stomach rumbling, it can get downright frustrating to let other things get in the way of sourcing some chow.
For me, it might be annoying chit chat with Barry from accounts on my way to the kitchen (For goodness sake, Barry I don’t give a damn about your bunions. Move outta my way!!). For toddlers it might be the way mum insists on changing their nappy before she brings out cheese and fruit (hanger waits for no one, lady!).
"Hungry + anger = hangry." Image: iStock.
They can talk their way out of anything.
Kids are clever, they know exactly how to get what they want and how to get themselves out of sticky situations.
In fact, I would bet that most children could give some top lawyers a run for their money when it comes to talking their way out of trouble.
Take this situation I recently found myself in, after splashing out on a ridiculously expensive lipstick for a night on the town. My kids thought it was just the right colour for an entirely different project and they set about “decorating” the contents of my wardrobe and walls and carpets with splashes of red.
Upon discovering the fruits of their labour, my mouth dropped open in disbelief, trying to figure out what to say to the little pairs of eyes staring up at me.
My toddler took control of the situation and said, “We just wanted to decorate your room with love hearts, Mummy. Just to show you that we love you.” Uh, thanks.
They’ve got their own sense of style, and don’t you dare mess with it.
Oh the battles going down in homes all over the country, each and every morning. You can see the mothers who lost. They’re the ones trawling around the shopping mall with a child dressed in a gumboot, a Spiderman cape, a tutu and a pair of undies over their pants. Some days you pick your battles, other days, pants are required.
Okay fine, you can wear your tutu and wings to the park. Image: iStock.
As children grow, they develop their own sense of style which may differ greatly from yours. It won’t matter what new clothes you get them, their heart is set on the free T-shirt they got from the hardware store one weekend and they’ll wear it to death, okay.
Their brainwaves often require impulse control.
Sometimes, impulsive thoughts can get us into all sorts of trouble and truth be told, adults and toddlers are both guilty of being led by a whim.
Impulsive thought from the brain of children: You know what’s an awesome idea? Icing sugar, all over the kitchen.
Partial impulse control: Even though I got into trouble, it was so much fun I’m going to come back in 10 minutes and do it all again.
Impulsive thought from the brain of adults: You know what’s an awesome idea? Repainting my house at 2am because I can’t sleep.
Partial impulse control: Changed my mind – I’m going to binge watch Offspring instead.
They are selfie gods.
If you’ve ever handed your phone to a child, you’ll know the feeling of being left with 100 images of the inside of their nostrils. They’re obsessed. Show them Snapchat and you’ve lost that battle my friend.
I made that mistake once and now I’ve got my three-year-old begging me to ‘do the funny face thing’ a hundred times a day. It’s times like these that I wonder if Beyoncé deals with these #toddlerproblems too.
So, next time you find yourself gritting your teeth at a little ones’ insistence on doing things their way, remember that adults can be as illogical.
What type of adult things does your toddler do?