Almost 7 year old's 'risky' behaviour

[Kitsandkids]

My almost 7 year old is a lovely boy in lots of ways but he will quietly disobey rules in a way that could end in him being hurt.

This morning I awoke to the shouts of his older brother who was letting us know the younger one had climbed out of the window and was dangling down clinging on for dear life! Fortunately my husband was in like a shot and hoisted him back in but I've felt awful all day knowing that had he slipped he could have been killed!

We gave him a real lecture and he said he did it because something had fallen out of the window so he was trying to get it. The window had been shut, so he must have opened it and both boys have been told, more than once, never to open the window. There is a chest of drawers in front of it which he must have climbed on to get out which he has been told several times never to climb on. There is also a hinge when you open the window to stop it opening too far, but he must have pushed the hinge back. My husband has now put a screw in so the window can only open a little way.

We gave him a good lecture there and then and later, while I was downstairs with his brother, my husband had a long, calm chat about how dangerous it was, and how he needed to be more sensible etc.

Anyway, tonight I put the boys to bed, came downstairs and 10 minutes later his brother calls down to tell me he is climbing on a shelving unit to get onto the wardrobe. As I go back up I hear him jumping down from the wardrobe and rushing back into bed. I tried to be calm but I ended up giving him a stern lecture again about how dangerous it was. I've also told him that tomorrow my husband will be taking away the shelving unit (it's screwed to the wardrobe which is screwed to the wall) as I've warned in the past that if he (and his brother who has done similar in the past) continues to climb on furniture it would be taken away.

He said he climbed on the wardrobe to get his toy down which he'd thrown up there. I am constantly telling him not to throw his toys. It is a repeated issue and I have warned him, and followed through, that toys he can't look after will be thrown away. So this toy is now in the bin.

What else can I do to stop this kind of behaviour?! He got such a fright this morning and was in tears when my husband rescued him that I thought he might stop the climbing, but then this!

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

He sounds like me as a child...and like my DD who is 7 too.

You can't stop it but you can channel it. Get him into something exciting such as skateboarding, ice skating, trampolining club or other outdoor pursuits.

My DD has been surfing for the past 4 months and finally she's calmed down a bit. She goes almost nightly though...I know that's not feasable for most so look for something that is.

[Kitsandkids]

Thanks. I do try and channel his energy, but perhaps he does need something a bit more sporty. Currently he goes to gymnastics after school once a week, swimming with school once a week, then has 3 other clubs he goes to, such as Beavers, but they aren't sporty. We also go to a play park and/or soft play most weekends.

I'm a bit wary of sending him to football training or anything else because he went to a sports club last year for a few weeks and he wouldn't listen or wait his turn etc and just ended up running around madly! So I took him out in the end. He was only just 6 though, and is almost 7 now and his behaviour, generally, is better, but whenever my back's turned he seems to think he can do whatever he likes and doesn't think of any consequences. He also hates to lose and likes his own way. He and his brother were having an impromptu game of football the other day with a few children they know through one of their clubs. About 10 children all together. All of them just got on with it and played well together, except for mine. He ran off in a strop three times because he thought they weren't passing to him enough and things like that. After the third time I pulled him out of the room where they were and told him he couldn't play any more because he was spoiling it for everyone else.

But yes, perhaps a more solo sport might be good for him, though if he can't immediately do something he tends to want to give up, or gets into a temper about it, though I think he is getting better at controlling his temper as he's getting older.

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

It does sound like there's something else going on when you put it like that...at almost 7 he should be able to manage a team game rather more maturely but saying that, all kids are different....perhaps a lone sport like cycling or skateboarding would be better..