This is really upsetting me and I can't understand it. I tell 7yo DS I love him all the time. Loads of kisses and cuddles, lots of time together and no real arguments except for the usual 'hurry up and put your shoes on' malarkey that happens in every family. He's quite an anxious and insecure child and needs a lot of reassurance, although he is confident when he's in familiar surroundings and really bright. He often winds his 5yo brother up to get a reaction, clearly for attention. I am scrupulous about treating them equally but DS2 is bloody Perfect Peter so DS1 does get pulled up more. If I'm honest I suspect this makes DS1 feel insecure, but I'm really aware of that possibility and give him oodles of praise and love.
A few weeks ago DS1 started asking me why I love him. First I said all the usual stuff around 'because you're my child and you're amazing' etc. He looked unconvinced so the next time I made a joke of it ('I like how you burp' and so forth). Still not really convinced.
And then today he asked me why I hate him! I genuinely don't understand. I love both my kids so much and we are a really close and cuddly family. I'm telling them all the time about how amazing they are and I just don't understand how he could even ask the question. He could be winding me up of course, but I just have an instinctive feeling there's something there making him worried and sad and insecure. Anyone had similar?
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.
Behaviour/development
Ds7 asking me why I hate him
4 replies
KwaziisEyepatch · 21/02/2018 23:18
OP posts:
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.