Is anyone else's 5/6yr old so bloody SILLY all the time?

[LauraPashley]

It is driving me mad and I worry that it is driving her friends mad too. I'd be furious if she was doing it at school too.

I am a primary teacher so I know all of the silly games/behaviours that go on, but I feel dd is falling into the trap of acting like this all the time.

She has started talking in a really silly baby/nasal/affected put on voice, it us becoming the norm for her and I feel like I am alway saying "speak in a PROPER voice". She can't seem to ever properly calm down, she is constantly hyper and silly. I actually told her tonight that I miss the "old her" (in so many words), as I can't now remember the last time I was able to have a normal conversation with her without the silliness creeping in again. Don't get me wrong, she is a lovely energetic and cheery wee thing, but this seems to be morphing into behaviour that is downright stupid and irritating/off putting to others.

I can't constantly pull her up on all of it or I'd never be off her back, and I know that a fair amount of carry on is normal. But I can't stand the stupid voice and don't understand where this affectation has come from and why. She is almost at the end of her 1st year of school and I wonder if any of it is just down to tiredness?

[fishoutofchlorinatedwater]

Yes, mine. Drives me nuts. We have silly voices, calling me rude names, repeating back what I have said, giving really stupid answers to sensible questions, acting like his 2 year old brother, going into hyper mode where he just stops listening...I could go on. I am afraid that I do just nag constantly and then the whole thing just sort of spirals. Hoping that the hols will get us back on an even keel, and that spending more "quality time" with him will distract him from his idiotic behaviour.

[HumphreyCobbler]

I take mine out and run them when they get like this. I think a lot of it (for my ds anyway) is unspent energy.

[wildstrawberryplace]

Mine does this when he is tired - he's doing more and more as we limp towards the end of term...

[BarbarianMum]

Yes.

I have no energy to add more but....Yes.

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

Oh God yes. My 5 year old DD in reception came home tonight speaking in another child's voice! It WOULD have to be the voice of the child in her class that is VERY annoying. I said "DD...have you been playing with X today?"

"Yes Mummy...how did you know?"

OH JUST A FRIGGING HUNCH!

It's a whiny, singy songy voice which is unmistakable. High pitched...my DD has a low voice normally. She does this voice whenever she's with X. GRRRR!

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

I also think its a bit of endoftermitis. Ooh that sounds like a real condition!

[xTillyx]

I couldn't let my nearly 5 DD have another child round to play at the moment because it would be chaos. She get's very silly, sometimes her friends look at me like wtf. It follows a pattern of hyperactive - irritable - crying meltdown. I am putting it down to over stimulation at school last few weeks of foundation stage.

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

I am the same xTillyx I just avoid it!

[hillyhilly]

My dd got very silly the last term of each of her infant school years, it was very trying!
I'm delighted to say that it doesn't seem to have happened on y3 (she has amazing teachers this year)

[xTillyx]

Hopefully it will get better over the holidays when they can get out and about sat rocking in corner still recovering from bedtime

[LauraPashley]

Oh my goodness I feel like a weight has been lifted!

[LauraPashley]

So sorry got interrupted earlier by dc2 (who's only crime so far is frequent waking!).

Im so glad it's not just me/her. On phone so can't scroll back easily to name check easily sorry, but as someone said upthread I really do think her peers are just thinking WTF? It is beyond anything remotely cute now, not that it ever really was. This is our last week of term so maybe some normality is looming. It is frustrating, she is an articulate little person and I normally really enjoying chatting with her, but it is impossible just now!

[Lavenderhoney]

My ds, just 6 has in the last week become a different person. He ignores me, says " I'm reading" when I talk to him about something important and he won't put his book down.
He stares out of the window and all but rolls his eyes if I insist. He then repeats anything back to me he doesn't like in a silly high pitch voice or says " nananana a" in this silly voice, which is clearly aimed at taking off my voice. This really annoys me.

He glares at me, and storms about, slamming doors and generally bursting into hysterical tears at the drop of a hat.

He is normally kind, thoughtful, sunny and a pleasure to be around. I am at a loss how to deal with him:( Any advice very very welcome.

[exoticfruits]

Have both of you tried refusing to listen if they talk in a silly voice?
OP could just tell her once that whenever she uses the silly voice she will ignore her completely and then follow up- don't explain again just completely ignore - go out of the room if necessary.
To lavenderhoney I would refuse to speak until he has put the book down and is looking at you properly- cut him off as soon as he starts the silly voice. He couldn't do it with a teacher - he is doing it because he knows he can get away with it.
With both of them I would agree that it is a tiredness, end of term thing and then Michael Gove thinks they can manage longer days and shorter holidays!!
Just an extra thought OP- there isn't anything in her diet that could be causing it? When my DS was about that age he never had coke to drink but one holiday he ended up drinking a few glasses and he was bouncing off the walls!

[Lavenderhoney]

Exotic, he doesn't want to speak to me! He would just continue to read! He totally ignores me in the car, just staring out of the window ignoring me. I'm not telling him off btw, just chatting.

Plus the silly voice, he does it as he goes to put his shoes away or get changed - that muttering insolence. He doesnt do it to my face- I could ignore it I suppose, but I think its so rude!

[exoticfruits]

Take the book off him and say, in a firm voice 'look at me- I am talking to you'. He couldn't get away with it with anyone else- the teacher would wipe the floor with him if he was so rude!
When he uses the silly voice as he puts his shoes away I would mimic him- show him how silly it sounds.
I would stop chatting to him in the car- see what happens - if nothing after a few days start with something that needs a reply.
It is probably a phase- they are silly around that age- they have to be polite at school so they relax at home. It is tiredness too.

[Svrider]

Sorry to piss everyone off but my dd1 is STILL doing this
She's 9 in September
It's not all the time tho thank goodness
I agree re. Tiredness she does get worse as the week goes by
I agree with other posters that it sometimes gets that I just carnt be doing with her/ her behaviour
I also get really annoyed when she then goes into cuddly mode and expects affection when she's been a PITA for the day!

[Shodan]

So far ds2 has only been doing this straight after school and it usually stops after about quarter of an hour. It's almost like he takes something at school and then comes down!

He has one particular friend (who came for a playdate recently) who behaves like this a lot, so I'm fairly sure it comes from there, but it's very tiresome. I dislike being called 'poo-poo head' and lots of talk about willies and so forth.

[exoticfruits]

I'm afraid toilet jokes etc are par for the age- luckily it is a phase.

[Lavenderhoney]

Yes I'll be glad when the toilet jokes stop! I've decided to ignore the muttering behind my back as he knows its wrong and I don't want to give him a reaction iyswim. I have explained to him if he does it again I will knock 5 mins off his bedtime everytime he does it. And I won't be giving second chances or reminding him:)

As he knows I always follow through, this has worked out well. We did talk about it though, and I said if he disagreed with me he must speak up, not be all upset and frustrated and feel he can't have a say. So we are going to work on that too...