I have that toddler crazy look in my eye

When doing an internet search on "toddlers who test limits," I found links for:
gentle discipline, terrible twos, toddlers becoming bullies, and some other toddler-developmental issues.

First let me just say, gentle discipline...what is that? If you are disciplining your child, how can you be gentle? Second, let's not leave the testing limits to the terrible twos, I for one know that I continued testing my limits up until the day I moved out of my parents house. (Maybe even until I got married...) And third, if testing equals becoming a bully -- oh boy, am I in trouble!

Jelly Bean was in full testing gear this past weekend. Needless to say, we are right around the corner from the big 3, so this is not a terrible twos thing, it is a "I'm a big girl now" thing.

I took Jelly shopping at the outlets to find some Spring clothing. The weather up here is pretty mixed-up lately, 40's one day and 70's another...so we really need those in between clothes. While I am attempting to find Jelly's size on a rack I see her go under a clothing rack...fully amused by her own actions, I had to ask her (gentle discipline) to come out from under there. She comes out giggling...only to go to another rack and hide. This time raising my voice, (not so gentle discipline) "I am not going to ask you again. That is not a safe choice." (could this be happening to me? I, too used to run through the racks and my mother used to scream at me for it...I am! I am my mother...or maybe she is just my mini-me?) By the third try, it was time to leave the store.

In another store, Jelly decided to push her baby in the stroller...no, not a play stroller, the stroller that she should have been in this entire time...well, you can only imagine what damage a toddler (without a stroller license) can do while pushing a stroller around the store.

And then we stopped for lunch. That amazingly went ok, until I went to throw out our remnants of lunch...Jelly decided to leave Wendy's by herself, excitedly exclaiming "I did it mommy!" I turned and yelled, NO JELLY! (Of course in these uncomfortable moments in parenting, the entire restaurant (filled to capacity at the lunch hour) became silent and turned to look at what all the commotion was about...No, don't worry, Jelly was ok...she just looked at me like I was a mad-crazy-lady who was once a calm mommy.)

Yes, and this is why parents get gray hair and have that "crazy" look in their eyes. It is from toddlers testing their limits. So, what I think Google really needs to add to their search of "toddlers who test their limits" results..."Crazy-lady" or just plain "parents going insane."