I just had 2 weeks off with my son (I was off work and my son's daycare closed). It was literally "the best of times AND the worst of times". We made some good memories (a day-trip out with other moms and babies; playtime together in the kiddy pool, family trip, etc.) but there are also memories I wish I could forget and fear I won't. I can't say which one of us was most frustrated or who cried more; I am still trying to convince myself I am the only one who can remember the bad times. I have had my eyes open to the truth about parenting...it's hard and often not fun (for both parent and child).
I guess I had extra-high hopes of having a great time with my little Mister since my new job is not only full-time but permanent. I was thinking of these weeks as a "last hurrah" of summer days together for us as Mommy and Toddler. With our struggles to get him to nap, Hubby and I also planned to use the time to work on his sleeping ability (basically we agreed it was time to let him cry-it-out at nap times). What we didn't factor in was the effect that would have on his personality, our relationship with him, or the rest of his established daily routines! And niether of us even considered how "off" the time was already going to be for him, just because he was away from daycare (his "normal"). Being with Mommy all day, everyday was (I now realize) a big enough change and shock for him!
ADVICE: Never make major changes for your child when their everyday schedule is already turned upside-down!
I will forever ask myself if my son's behaviour changed so drastically these 2 weeks because of me forcing him to cry-it-out for naptime or was it just coincidence that he decided to leap head-first into his Terrible Twos at that time? (By the way, whoever said they were terrible was sorely mistaken, they're IMPOSSIBLE Twos!)
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