"Terrible" Twos?

My kid is always the quiet one. In a room containing more than two people, he's the one you'll find nestled in my lap, watching the whole, in his opinion, "crazy" scene unfold. Usually, after an appropriate amount of time, ranging anywhere from ten minutes to ten days, he'll decide it's safety to emerge from the protective cacoon of Mommy and explore. He's the one you won't hear a peep from all evening if we're at your house from dinner, and not just because he can't talk, but because he's busy being shy. How can you question an innocent, "quiet" face like that...I guess it's what lies beneath...dum-de-dum-dum-DUM!

We had a barbecue last night: eight adults, four toddlers and a crawling baby. So, you could say it was a full house. I learned something. My kid is only the wallflower on someone else's turf. He is pretty confident being a CRAZY child when overstimulated by kids he knows en masse (including his little girlfriend Grace), fruit on a stick (thanks Daddy for thinking an 18 month old and toothpicks mix), and his own toys.

He started off quiet enough, but still not needing Mommy's lap, that's for sure. But, by night's end, he was slamming his toy box shut within centimeters of Grace's fingers, then shwacking her on the head with puzzle pieces, just for the heck of it, and not regular puzzle pieces, those big wood ones with huge knobs! He was throwing toys within centimeters of other children's heads. He was loud. He was running faster than I'd ever seen him run. He wasn't alone of course. The other kids, except sweet and quiet Grace who looked like she was witnessing a crime, were running a bit rampant too.

Time out was a joke at this point. Our "work" on sharing seemed to be all but forgotten anytime anyone, anywhere in the entire house touched any of his toys. He was a bit of a monster. After everyone left, I asked Bryon if he was, in fact, said beast, hoping that I was exaggerating his behavior in my mind, thinking my embarrassment for my kid was just in my own weird parent-mind. Nope, Bryon said he was a monster too.

In hindsight, the morning after. He wasn't that bad. He was just a kid. He only threw two toys. He only hit Grace once. He didn't make her cry any more times than on a normal day at a playground. Heck, he's a boy and she's a girl. Girls cry more than boys and take things a lot more seriously, and much more dramatically. He's not a bully and he's kind and gentle usually with her when he makes her cry, usually unintentionally. In fact, he usually apologizes with a hug.

Yesterday was a party, what could I expect. No one got hurt. No one threw up from eating too much food when we weren't looking. No one had to go home in tears. No one actually had to be punished. No one got screamed at or seriously punished. Everyone got along well. No one's mommy rolled their eyes at anyone else's mommy. Oh yeah, and no one BIT anyone else.

I forget sometimes that he's only eighteen months old. Sharing is hard. Not throwing your toys is hard. Not hitting someone with a puzzle piece can be really hard too when her head is right there in front of you, I guess. Hey, sometimes I've debated hitting him with a puzzle piece, right? Okay, only for a second when he's really, really, really fussy! Maybe he gets this from me!

P.S. Does he look like a crazed monster in this picture or what...it's from the heatwave week, not from the party, but still...CRAZED MONSTER, everyone get out of the way!