OH. NO! What If He Stays Like This Forever?

I have learned so many things during in my two short years of parenting. One of them being, you take the good with the bad, and be thankful for your blessing... no matter how spirited. 

I hate to say it, but I wish my boy was just a little more... cautious? calm? I'm not sure of the word, because I do love him so much and am so proud of him, but sometimes, I wish he would take it down a notch or twenty. Ever since I can remember my kid has been running from me.  Fearlessly turning corners well before me, running and hiding in stores he has never been in, climbing every stair and ladder he comes across, and then trying to jump off. And while I am so thankful for his abilities and sturdiness on his feet, it's challenging being the mother of the kid who is so busy on his feet.

18-months-old. PEACE OUT, MOMMY!

It bugs the crap out of me that it's next to impossible to hold him for two minutes while I have a conversation with an adult. Or when I turn away for thirty seconds I find him trying to do a cannonball off the back of the couch, or combing up then jumping from retaining walls that are two feet high,. Yes, I am so proud of his athletic abilities and fearlessness--to a certain degree.  It's just that I wish this wild and fearless behavior was not what seems to be 95% of the time!

Just yesterday, FTD and I met the greatest couple with a little boy who is 6-months older than Ollie.  Instantly we all became fast friends. Which, is surprising since the majority of the time I was chasing or reprimanding Ollie, or when I stopped for a brief moment to talk, having to explain why I was not chasing him three yards away or yelling NO! While,it was very embarrassing, after a year of dealing with his "spirited" nature, I'm used to just smiling through the insanity. Plus, I have learned to choose my battles, and not chase after him since it usually proves fruitless. It jus sucked that the whole time her little boy was within arms reach of her, and sweet as can be.  I couldn't help but be a little jealous.

This was taken on his 1st birthday!
Already hauling ass. 

Since clearly my kid never runs out of steam, I cannot help but wonder, what if this is not a toddler phase... What if my kid is a wild ass daredevil for the rest of his life? What if I am raising the next Evil Knievel? Seriously, what if this is not a phase, but only a warm-up of what's to come?

I really don't have any desire to be the mom on the playground begging her son to get down from the roof of the school, or explaining that trying to jump a bike from one roof to another because they look close enough to do it, is a bad decision. More or less, I don't want to spend the rest of my life saying, NO! or begging my kid to not jump off the roof in make shift bird wings.

It took him 3 seconds to get up there. 

Truthfully, the hardest part of all of this, is trying to figure out how to parent him through this. Do I yell no all of the time an make him walk next to me, even if that does mean one of those backpack leashes, or do I let him run ahead and climb the stairs?  Sometimes I think I should just be full-on mean mom for as long as it takes to make him walk next to me and not climb on things, but then I wonder if I am being overly sensitive. Sometimes, when I am positive he is being psycho toddler, an employee at a store will say, Oh no, he is actually really good. You should see the kids who come through here.

I try hard to remind myself that he is two, and nuts... and full of wild happy energy... and a love for life, and that's an AWESOME thing. And yes, as much as it makes me a little crazed at times, I would not want to inhibit his abilities and natural happiness to make my life a little easier. All I know for sure, I hope this really is a phase and that eventually he will run ahead a little less, climb fewer things, and jump from lower structures, and hopefully all of this happens before I rip out all of my hair and lose my mind.


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