My son is 4 turning 5 in October.
The last month or so he has become very disruptive and he keeps hurting others and disobeying us. Morning and bedtimes are torture for us as he just refuses to do anything.
He will punch, kick, bite or pinch when he doesn't get things his way or sometimes for no reason.
We have tried time outs, taking away toys and not doing his favourite activities. A few times I've resorted to a smack where he will just punch or kick me back :'(
Just today we went out for dinner and found out he bit a 10 year old girl in the playground (knowing his latest behaviour is probably wasnt provoked) I felt so bad for this girl and apologised to her and her parents who luckily understood.
I'm just ashamed, gutted and embarrassed from his behaviour change and really do not have a clue how to bring my boy back :'(
Please mummas I need your help!
Also nothing has really changed in our daily lives and he is still good at preschool. he is just trouble at home and at both grandparents houses.
1 Replies
Ok if he was 1 or 2 I wouldn't be concerned and would say this is pretty normal. At 4 it can be normal to lash out when throwing a tantrum, but biting other people's children at this age is just not on.
Firstly I'd be making sure he is fully and closely supervised (not saying he wasn't but I know how those playgrounds can be). If he is in the playground an adult needs to be a few metres away at all times watching. You might be surprised what happened before he bit that girl, I find it hard to believe there wasn't some issue that led to the bite. If you see an issue developing you can prompt your son to manage the situation more appropriately.
Keep an eye out for triggers and write them down. Make an appointment with your GP, get a general checkup (sick kids act out, you'd be surprised when illnesses are missed). Ask for a referral to a child psychologist and a paediatrician. The psychologist can give you and your son strategies. It's probably a good idea to get any underlying disorders ruled out by the psych and paediatrician, things like anxiety can present in small children as violence (not saying your child has anxiety).