As the mother of three grown children, I can tell you that both this 2-year-old and his older siblings have lots more surprises in store for you and your wife.

The worst ages are 2, 12 and 21.

They go through the "terrible twos" which you've correctly described -- some to a worse degree than others -- as they're exercising their will against yours, testing the waters, and barely surviving being thrown out of a 10-story window! And if they don't undergo potty training by that time, some desperate parents secretly start checking out 20-story buildings!!

Then comes the 12-year-old stage, which can extend from 11 to 13, depending upon when the hormone rush makes its appearance. Who could have thought that 12 would be worse than two? But it can be! Prepare yourself for breasts (or not--then there will be tears), shaving (or not--haven't heard yet of chin transplants, but who knows!), acne, boyfriends/girlfriends, sulking, tears, from playing with dolls to checking out the action at the mall food court, wearing pants halfway down their derriers and pink-sprayed mohawks to the great-grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary bash, and worse....

Ah, finally you've gotten them through school and they're about to set out on their own---except that's when they really test your patience and your pocketbook. Either they won't move out but want all the freedoms of an adult, or they do---and get into your pockets repeated with promises to paying back those loans as soon as they get on their feet in their chosen career...and, of course, after they pay off their own student loans. Oh, and then that career choice changes--and with it the salary, vacation time and, most important, health insurance. So they there are the loans as they wait for benefits to kick in again....and again...and again. They don't seem to understand the concept of "security deposit" no matter how much you explain it, so they make haphazard decision with regard to living arrangements, changing abruptly if the mood hits them. Oh, yes, they need furniture, cookware, bedding. Who would have thought? That's actually a good thing because those castoffs in your basement (don't throw anything out from this day forward!) will be put to good use again---maybe--if they're the right style, properly retro, and/or after you've repaired them.

Eventually, a smart parent will rip up the "loan" list and simply wait for them to get married, and have a bouncing baby who too-quickly turns into a 2-year-old, at which time the new grandparent can smile inwardly because they know the score has been settled!

I suppose you could call it the circle of young life.........

...as one earlier writer pointed out.

Reading that comment reminded me of the time a friend and I went out for lunch with the kids. It was eons ago. We chose the time when the working MEN were having lunch, but since our children were used to eating in restaurants--and we both believed in disciplined since our children were so close to gether and we wouldn't have survived without having the upper hand--we insisted that the waitress NOT place us way back next to the kitchen, but in a regular booth.

Reluctantly she did, and they were (sort of) angels. Given that we had two less than a year old (one each, of course) we had two highchairs. Just as we were taking the babies out of the highchairs and trying to put on their snowsuits, my friend reached behind and said "Hold my purse." My two-year-old daughter thought she was handing it to her while her two-year-old daughter thought she was handing it to her. That's when a screaming, rolling-on-the-ground fight happened right there in the middle of the restaurant.

Needless to say, both of us learned never to say "My child knows how to behave in restaurants...."