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The Youngest Child Syndrome

"Me too!" is a common phrase for Little Miss Independent

by Deb - Mom of 3 Girls  |  11399 views  |  1 comment  |        Rate this now! 

My husband and I talked about having three children from the time we knew that we would be getting married. Well, initially he wanted to have six kids, but I managed to talk him down, thinking that six might be just a bit too much to afford. Three seemed like a nice number.

When our first child was 11 months old, we decided to start trying for another baby. Nine months later, we welcomed our second baby girl. The first couple of years were difficult, with basically raising two babies while working full-time as well, but once they got a bit older and able to play with each other more easily, we hit a stretch of fairly smooth sailing. They are close enough in age that they tend to hit the same milestones at

around the same times nowadays.

Enter baby number three. She was born when our oldest was almost 5 and our second daughter had just turned 3. Now, her big sisters adore her and there’s really been very little sibling rivalry. But “baby” has

now turned to “toddler” -- a very independent, stubborn toddler, no less -- and life has gotten much more interesting.

Her favorite words at the moment are “mine” and “me too!” She not only wants to do everything that the “big girls” do, she thinks that she can and it’s extremely difficult to convince her otherwise. Tears and

tantrums are more common than I like to think about, usually resulting in a sobbing, frustrated little girl finally turning to someone for help with whatever she was trying to attempt that she wasn’t quite ready for anyway.

Did our older two girls put their own boots on before age 2? I don’t remember for sure, although I very much doubt it. Could they use a “big” spoon or drink from an open cup? Our youngest does. Oh, not always very neatly, but she wants to try. She knows how to ride a three-wheeled scooter -- not very far or fast, but she’s got the idea down pat. She’s also let us know that she’s much too big for the “baby” swings -- last summer, at 18-months-old, she surprised us by showing that she could hold on and swing (gently) in the “big kid” ones. Keeping her off of the soccer field at her older sisters’ games was a challenge, and I still think that she was sure that she was a team member as well.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Having a toddler who is very interested in this whole potty idea (because big sisters use it, of course!) isn’t something I am complaining about, for sure. And Little Miss

Independent is quite happy to work on dressing herself and other tasks that she sees bigger kids doing themselves. It’s just taking some getting used to on our parts. I keep finding myself saying, “you can’t do that yet!” only to revise myself shortly afterward as I realize that often, she can.

1 comment so far...

  • We only have two girls, but our youngest is alot like yours. I often call her "Little Miss Me Too" and "The Echo" (because she either repeats everything her older sister says or she has to repeat herself many times to get noticed) And she's definitely way ahead of where her old sister in may ways -- potty training, swimming, etc. Unfortunately, that "Me too!" eventually turns into a plaintiff, "It's no fair!" accompanied by crossed arms and a pathetic pout.

    Flag as inappropriate Posted by Amy@UWM on 31st January 2008