4 Life Lessons I Learned from My Toddler Grandson

As a grandmother and a reasonably prudent woman of a certain age, I'm supposed to have a store of wisdom by this point in my life. I have, indeed, garnered a ton of knowledge; but my toddler grandson may have already surpassed me in the wisdom department. He's a smart little guy. Really he is. He's only two, but he's given me a lot to think about.

If you've ever been close friends with a toddler, you know that the word "terrible," is often paired with the two-year milestone. Two is often defined by stubborn confrontations, crying, embarrassing fits in the grocery store, and frustration for everyone within toddler earshot. Now that my grandson has crossed over into the three year old realm, he's kicked that behavior into high gear.

Toddler tantrums aside, during moments of clarity, my grandson has shared many meaningful life lessons. Here are just a few:

1- Don't just sit there. Do something!
For months, my grandson, his parents, and grandma, of course, have been engaged in the poo-poo war. Ask, order or beg, he would only warn us about a pending "pee" or "poo" if he was in the correct mood. Those two little words led to pulling down his pants, sitting on his potty and staying there until the deed is done. There's no fun in that.

My grandson has wisely realized that doing something -- anything -- is better than just sitting around doing nothing, especially on a potty. He'd rather dance, sing, run through the house, or play with his two Big birds, his two Mickey Mouse softies, or his family of rubber duckies. He's completely potty trained now, but poo-poo war continues; because doing something really is better than just sitting.

2- Two is better than one
Yes, I said two Big Birds, two Mickey Mouse softies, and... Thanks to gifting relatives, my grandson has multiple pairs of several toys (and four Elmos). In most cases, one is big and the other is little; so for identification purposes, he calls them "big Mickey" and "little Mickey," or "big rubber duckie," and "little rubber duckie," or "big Big Bird and little Big Bird." If he misplaces a toy-- big or little-- his tiny toddler world breaks down until he finds it.

My grandson has cut to the heart of an important fact of life. Two is better than one. Hat-wearing women usually have at least one big hat to keep out the sun and a little one for style. The guys I know would be thrilled with a little car for commuting and a big car for show. And now that I think about it, the bible says it best: "Two are better than one..." Wow, what a smart little boy!

3- Try a new food at least once. You might like it.
Long before my grandson became a citizen of the Kingdom of Terrible Twos, his parents began introducing him to their vegetarian favorites. As a compliant grandma, I fed him " 'cado" (avocado), tofu, and "yooo-gurt" on demand. He says "no" to 'cado these days -- that's what two-year-olds do --but he still eats it by the spoonful, because he learned to like it before he learned to say "no."

4- Just say "No"!
Speaking of no. The late Nancy Reagan is credited with authorship of the 1986 slogan, "Just say no," but toddlers were saying "no" long before she made it a kid's anti drug mantra.

Like any opinionated toddler, my grandson says "no" to food, clothing, standing up, sitting down, going to bed, getting out of bed, using the potty... and just about everything else. Although his "no" really means "yes" sometimes.

Hmmm... Perhaps he's a pint-sized politician in the making.

Originally published on Yahoo Voices