The model 2.5yo

To say Ari has been a tad fussy of late would be a serious understatement. Mr Particular was starting to drive us crazy until we received a letter in the mail from our Maternal and Child Health Nurse saying it was time for him to come in for his 2.5yo weigh-in.
Accompanying the note was a leaflet titled "Two and a Half Years". It reads:
"This is an age about which parents may need warning because so much that the child now does naturally, almost inevitably, is directly contrary to what his or her parents would like....Parents often say that they can't do a thing with a child of this age."
Basically, it reads like a perfect descriptor of Ari's behaviour and personality at the moment. So, bacially, I have a textbook 2.5yo on my hands.
Among its many insights:
1. 2.5yolds are rigid and inflexible: Damn right, they are! Ari has little routines and will not be swayed by them to, say, get dressed or put on a clean nappy.
2. They must give the orders. If they decide "mummy do", daddy cannot be accepted as a substitute. If they decide "me do it myself", then no one is allowed to help them.
This one is particularly rigid with Ari - not a day goes by without at least one frantic "my do it! my do it!".
3. It is an age of opposite extremes. Children of this age shuttle back and forth between two extremes, trying to include both in their decision - "I will, I won't." "I want it, I don't want it."
This one drives me spare some days. Ari will declare he wants a drink of milk, or a piece of chicken at dinner, then 2 seconds later, look at you as if you were crazy to even give it to him.
Needless to say, this glorious piece of yellow paper has become our solace - it's perfectly normal to have a crazy toddler.