My son will be 3 next week. And something has happened to him. These days I never know whether I’m going to get Dr. Jekyll or Whining Hyde.

This is a typical "Whining Hyde" day face.

Here is my son as Dr. Jekyll: Wakes up smiling and asks me politely for some juice and Kix. We play games and he sneaks me kisses and hugs throughout the day. We laugh a lot. Nap time isn’t a struggle (well, not as bad of one) and he eats his meals without fighting us over every mouthful.

And here’s my son as Whining Hyde: “Wahhhhh! I don’t want to drink juice! I don’t want Kix! No, I do want Kix! No I don’t want Kix (throwing his 32-pound body on the floor for emphasis). ” And then some, “Don’t talk to me, mommy!” and “I want daddy to feed me! Where’s daddy? Wahhhh!” for good measure. Oh and don’t forget the, “Wahh! I don’t want to nap! I won’t get into bed!” and “I don’t want applesauce! (when he loves it)” and throwing his milk to the floor just because he can. This is a day of time outs and Tylenol (for me).

You get the idea. Whining Hyde has taken over my house lately. I see much more of him than I do of Dr. Jekyll.

Dr. Jekyll, where did you go? PLEASE PLEASE COME BACK! Wahhhhh!