Toddler vs. Teenager

On the surface, the difference between toddlers and teenagers may seem to be extreme, but they are much more alike than you might imagine. Obviously most teenagers are a lot bigger and stronger than most toddlers, and they are certainly not nearly as cute. But I believe they have more in common than they have significant differences. Here is a comparison of some of the characteristics of both.

Hygiene: Toddlers tend to smell like whatever they just ate (and got on themselves). Teenagers, with their decreased interest in hygiene, tend to smell like body odor. Neither toddler nor teenager seems to have much interest in washing their hands or face.

Both Teenagers and toddlers, when caught doing something they should not, will lie right to your face even though they know you saw them do it.

Neither toddlers nor teenagers understand basic logic as expressed by an adult.

Things that are good for toddlers or teenagers, things that will help them grow or learn or are otherwise beneficial are useless unless they are fun.

Both are happy to spend every dime they possess on a new toy, both are easily distracted, and both enjoy making a mess.

So you see, teenagers have a lot in common. However, they do have differences.

Teenagers are usually a lot bigger than toddlers. If a toddler lays on the ground screaming and kicking because they don't want to go where you want them to, you can pick them up and tuck them into the crook of your arm like a football and go on your merry way. If a teenager lays on the ground, you might really hurt yourself trying to get them on their feet.

Teenagers are usually a lot smarter than toddlers. In fact, they are often smarter than their parents - not in the sense that they know anything, but in the sense that they can be mentally quicker. So if a teenager tells you a lie to avoid trouble or work, they might be good enough at it to fool you.

And of course teenagers are much more autonomous than toddlers. Teenagers go where they want to go, under their own power and without supervision, and without calling their parents to let them know where they are and/or what they're doing.

One thing you learn as a parent is that your child changes hundreds of times as they grow, and little of the past prepares you for the future. One of the best things you can do to keep up is to talk to other parents. Hear their horror stories and share some of your own. Sometimes you'll find that you need that comparison to reassure yourself that your child isn't an aberration, but just a teenager.