We have had a weekend of on/off awful rude behaviour from our nearly 5yo DS, the two worst being:
Yesterday I took him to a trial football skills class that a friend recommended. He would follow the instructions for a minute or so and then keep running off/doing his own thing. Was being repeatedly asked to stop, guided to do the right thing etc nicely, eventually was sat out twice for 1 minute for consistently not listening. Afterwards I apologised to the instructor and he said not to worry, as long as I am ok with him gently disciplining him then bring him back. So the instructor said to DS in a friendly, jokey way about how next week will be better won’t it and Santa is watching so you need to be good etc, and DS replies with “well I’ll just smash a Kinder Egg in your face.” I was MORTIFIED . I apologised profusely, then told DS off repeatedly and frogmarched him home where DH gave him a talking to on unacceptable rude behaviour, how would he feel if someone said/did this to him etc.
Then on Saturday we went to a friend’s 5yo DD Birthday party at a pizza restaurant. DS has some anxiety with new situations sometimes or lots of people he doesn’t know. He clung to me initially and then sat at the far end of the table away from all the other children and could not be persuaded to move closer (some no-shows so the nearest kids were 3 seats away). He ate his starter and dessert nicely, but ate/picked at the pizza like an absolute pig. He kept blowing bubbles in his drink, shredded the plastic apron they make them wear by sticking his fingers through it constantly. I tried to discretely tell him to stop eating his pizza like X (picking off the topping and dangling them in the air or swinging them about, putting a piece of pepperoni on his tongue and sticking it out etc). I took the pizza away in the end which he wasn’t bothered about.
Why oh why did he behave so badly in both these situations? How do you discipline your children in front of other people? We use time out at home which works well most of the time, but attempting this in public results in a full-scale tantrum, which is obviously a situation I had to avoid at a party in a restaurant.
I am just so ashamed and upset
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Behaviour/development
Shameful behaviour in 4yo
9 replies
Thisisgreen · 02/12/2019 10:17
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