IOToddlerN, Dylan has prematurely reached the Terrible Twos. He thinks it's absolutely hilarious to touch things he knows are off-limits. Like the DVD player. And the STOVE. He doesn't even necessarily want to do anything with them, but he'll walk over to the stove, throw me a shit-eating grin, and plant his hand right on the oven door. It's both adorable and infuriating, the little punk. Any advice on making him realize that "No, Dylan, dangerous!" is not a game?

(And now, of course, I have the song from The Fantasticks in my head on a permanent loop.)

Jessica, I would probably pick him and up and move him away from whatever it is, but silently (aside from a firm "No"). What he's looking for is a reaction from you, and the more you give him, the longer he'll play the game.

It's like kids having tantrums. A lot of them want the attention, even if it's negative, so one way to stop it is to put them somewhere safe, like their room, and then just ignore them until they're done. (With appropriate, "I'm sorry you're so mad. Maybe we can talk when you're done" noises, for older kids.)

Also, I'm pretty sure the Terrible Twos actually refers to the second year of life, which Dylan is just beginning. I know that confused me when Jake was a toddler, because I thought it would be the year between two and three.

Jessica, I was told some disturbing news by a friend: the way your child acts as a two-year-old is a good indication of how they will be as teenagers.

What he's looking for is a reaction from you, and the more you give him, the longer he'll play the game.

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to do. Easier said than done, of course. (I mean, when it's something like the stove, by the time I remember to not react, I've probably already said something like "OMGDYLANGETAWAYFROMTHESTOVERIGHTNOW!" at which point not reacting any more is fairly pointless.)

Oh, totally easier said than done. Especially, like, in a grocery store when there's a tantrum brewing. He'll get over it after a while, though. This is the time-honored "testing the boundaries" phase, and soon he'll be on to something else!

Which, um, is probably not as comforting as I meant it to be.

Sweet Jesus, why isn't it Friday?

It's basically a mild fever followed by blisters (a bit like a mild chicken pox).

Well, this isn't blisters--it's more like red blotches that seem to be spreading rather than getting better. But she did have the sniffles and maybe a low grade fever last week. t shrugs The pede's office opens at 9:00, so I'll just call then and go from there.

I should just let him slam his fingers in the door a couple of times and then he won't think it's fun anymore.

(Kidding! Kidding!)

(....mostly. When I was about 2, I burned my hand on our fireplace in Canada - probably because my mother had told me not to play with it - and the next summer the first thing I did when we got to the house was point at the fireplace and say "NO. HOT." So there is something to be said for learning from experience...)

Dylan's coxsackie rash didn't look blistery either, more like someone had taken a red Sharpie and drawn dots all over his hands and feet. He didn't get the mouth sores until about day three.

(Kidding! Kidding!)

(....mostly.)

It's funny because it's kind of true.