Come On, Four!

The age of three is by far the WORST age we have encountered (so far). I really didn't think two was all that bad, and at least they weren't waking up through the night. It just hasn't seemed like for the last three months that both kids can be happy at any time. And, the fighting...it's enough to drive me crazy.

This morning was a prime example. Tanner is always the first up - he's awake when I come downstairs to get them up. So, I get him out of bed, we go to the bathroom and then wake up Morgan (who is not a morning person). I get out their clothes, and Morgan asks to wear a dress.

"Morgan, your dresses aren't clean. How about a skirt?"

"No."

I pick out a T-shirt/short option and a T-shirt/skirt option. "Why don't you chose which one you want to wear?"

"No." (Arms now crossed on the floor in front of me and big pouty lip sticking out.)

"Morgan, you can chose what you want to wear from these two outfits."

"No, I want to wear a dress!"

"Please choose, Morgan." (Trying to keep my patience...)

"No."

"Fine, I'm chosing."

She jumps through the air and snatches at the skirt. Of course, since she procrastinated too long, that isn't an option any more. She falls onto the floor, a heaping, sobbing mess.

And, that doesn't touch the conversation regarding going to the bathroom, going upstairs, eating breakfast, or watching Mickey Mouse. I don't cave in to the behaviour, because if I do - that only reinforces that when she does this, she'll get her way, right?

Is it just me who is crazed by the age of three? Or is there a parenting secret out there that I don't know about?

And, other twin parents - did/do your twins fight? How do you handle that? It's so difficult to take something away from one as a punishment (i.e. TV or a toy) when they share so much and are together all the time.