Fabulous Four?

The person who told me that four is when it gets easy - were you just trying to encourage me by giving me some false hope?!  Seriously!

Yesterday the day starts out with my precious Spiderman boy who is 4 asking if he could watch another Spiderman cartoon on Youtube.  He's been obsessed with Thomas the Train since he was a year and a half and I loved that obsession.  Thomas taught about things like working hard, sharing, competition that has a winner and a loser (yes people, someone would actually lose), friendship and characteristics I wanted Luke to learn.  Spiderman teaches - well, I don't know what Spiderman teaches (I'll get back to you on that one.)  I loved buying Thomas DVD's for Luke but Spiderman DVD's - really?  I'm just not there yet. 

So, I tell the boy no.  I try to explain to him that he can watch some later, but right now I needed the computer.  He tells me, "I'm so angry!"
And in my "I really could care less about this argument" voice I say, "Well, you're going to have to get over it."  And then the response comes...
"You get over it.  It's your problem!"  Aahh, 4 - yes, this is definitely a breeze.

Oh but it gets better.

Then we go to my aunt's house last night to play in her yard and "help" her garden.  Luke and Emma both pulled growing plants out of a planter right after my aunt said, "No!"  Another proud mommy moment.  So I bring both of them over to the patio and start telling them it's disrespectful, blah blah blah, (I get tired of hearing myself speak) and Luke says in his sweetest voice, "Yes Mommy."  Oh but not Princess Emma.  Emma rolled her eyes and sighed like she was fifteen and I was telling her she couldn't go to a party.  Are you kidding me?!?!?!  So I make her sit by the fence on "time out" which really is quite the joke in my family and I don't know why I'm so persistent about it.  She says, "I have to go potty!"  I tell her to hold it (mind you, she just went 3 minutes earlier)  Next thing, I look over and see her pulling her pants down and peeing right there on the lawn.  That, my dear Emma, looks nothing like a forest.  Then Lily follows suit and pulls her shorts and diaper right off.  Deep breath, 4 - sooo much easier than when they couldn't talk or walk and they were just cute.  Uh huh.

And then the day turns into night when they, the lovely four year olds, should be sleeping.  When I should be sleeping.  9 times.  NINE times they woke up last night:  "I need a drink of water."  "I had a bad dream." "I'm (never been scared before in my entire life but tonight I will start) afraid of the dark."  "Can I watch Spiderman?"  "I heard a sound."  "My tummy's rumbling." "I think I need socks."  "Can we do something fun tomorrow?" "I have to go potty."  NINE TIMES.  My baby, my little baby who it is still acceptable for him to wake up in the night, only once...when Luke woke him up.  Yes 4, way easier!  By the way, that doesn't include when my husband woke me up at 1 to tell me he was coughing and having a hard time sleeping...REALLY?!??!?!  (That will be for a later day.)

I'm not sure when the actual age that parenting will get easier, or if it really does.  Maybe it just gets different.  I thought at times when the twins were babies that I was never going to make it.  I did, and now there are times I think the same.  I know I will make it in the end, probably pretty tired, but I will make it.  But let me be honest with you:  Four is NOT the magic age!  I heard recently that it was the "terrible twos" the "trying threes" and the "freaking fours."  Ooh...maybe five is the magic number...maybe.