Three and three quarters

I'm d-o-n-e with not listening, tantrums and out and out defiance. Ben is a doll, be sure of that, but he is also full of energy of the manic sort. Into everything, completely knowing he shouldn't be.

Of all of my kids, he is the most trying at this phase... unless somehow I've blocked it out.

He climbs to higher heights (and jumps from them.) He runs from me and when I say "STOP" he laughs and keeps running. He listens when I say no, and then does it anyway.

As I typed this, he and Zack snuck into the garage, he climbed up onto my van and I raced when I heard the screams. No one was hurt (thankfully) but he was stuck up there on top of the van, and got scared. So, basically I can never relax or take my eyes off of him.

Which may explain why my blog is kind of sparse on posts these days.

I should be an old pro at this age and stage by now, yet I feel somehow like my mothering ability must be getting worse, because I have no idea how to settle this one down.