Today we met up with my friend and my son's little girlfriend for some lunch and a little mall time. It's been almost a month since I last saw them b/c I needed some time to recover from the last time they were together. Again, love my friend and her daughter but whenever my son hangs out with her he seems to have beat his record of being at his all time bad! Today was yet another record. I think it's party b/c of her actions and partly b/c she brings out the wildness in him too. We were walking around the mall and all of a sudden the two of them started running off away from us. Then my son ran even further and when he saw me running after him he ran even faster than ever and further away. Once I caught him I pulled him aside (in the middle of the mall) and gave him a stern scolding and told him that he has to always stay close by; otherwise we are going home. He started crying and saying he didn't want to go home. Then I told him that if he doesn't listen to me one more time we are for sure going home. He was good. But then my right hip (which I've been having issues with since giving birth to #2) started acting up and hurting a lot more than normal. Ugh, stupid old age and carrying kids for the last 3.5 years of my life!

So we carry on and got some frozen yogurt and then it was time to go home. ANOTHER melt down and this time it was at a department store. He screamed at the top of his lungs when I told him that I was going to go if he's not coming (not that I really would!) he screamed even louder with continual tears falling down his cheeks. I told my friend to go ahead and leave b/c I was embarrassed for her to witness what a monster my son has become. When I finally got him to calm down he finally agreed to go home, crying still. Then all of a sudden he realized that his girlfriend wasn't there and started crying again b/c he wanted to say bye. Oh brother. Luckily they weren't far ahead of us and parked near us so we went to say bye. Guess who completely ignored my son? His little girlfriend! She refused to say goodbye. He reluctantly came to me and we left. I think she was horrified by his behavior she didn't want to talk to him. I felt bad but there's nothing I can do. Then when we got into the car he wanted to listen to his songs and when I said "no" there were tears again. I explained to him why and he reluctantly didn't say anymore.

Gone is my sweet little shy boy who everyone said is so well behaved. I miss him so very much! He really still is a good boy when he wants to be. He still sits at the restaurant table and finishes his food and he can still be a sweet little boy when he's not tired. Yes, the key is "tired." I knew we should have left when I saw that it was already 2 PM which is usually when we start to get ready for his nap. But I was sort of being selfish and was having a good time despite having to deal with my son's craziness. I know that when he's tired he starts to act up, doesn't listen, and that's when the tears and whining starts. It's terrible and I just never learn my lesson. I know that he's still a toddler and still needs to stick to a schedule. I find that whenever I veer off that schedule that's when we start to have the meltdowns and the craziness.

After today I think I am going to really enjoy my 6-month-old a little more b/c one day he will be just the same. So far, he's been following everything his big brother did when he was his age. So I'm guessing he's going to have the impossible 3s as well. I mean, I might as well assume and be prepared for it since I was SO not prepared for my oldest to be this way when he was the sweetest little boy for the longest time.

Almost every stranger mom I've ran into who has boys tells me it's normal and either theirs is going through the same or went through it. I actually ran into another mom with a 3-year-old today and he doesn't listen either. Glad I'm not alone.

Do you have a 3-year-old and is he/she going through the impossible 3s too?