To want to do stuff without my son?

[ShamefulPlaceMarker]

He is 6, and he is cheeky. He has become cheekier in the past few months and it's really grating on me.

We go out as a family and there will be numerous times during the day were he will play up, be cheeky or wind his sister(2) up.

Sometimes, I just want to go home, or wish I hadn't bothered. I have even been known to wait until he's in school, and then go off to have a nice day out with dd!

Please tell me this is a phase!

It won't be a "phase" if you carry on with that attitude towards him. He will sense your resentment and play up even more.

I think it's the purposeful waiting to have a nice day without him that bothers me about your post. We all do things while our kids are at school because it's easier with younger children or the activities are more appropriate for them but to purposely have him miss out on treats is mean.

YANBU to feel like that, but it won't improve things if you leave him out. He will notice.

They have phases, sometimes to do with hormones. If they are anything like my DC it will be your DD you want to leave at home before long, while your DS turns into an angel.

My eldest is yr2 and cheekiness is ramping up. I admit I love spending the morning with my youngest dc (2) while others at school as it's much more peaceful. However I try to connect with him daily. Once all other dc in bed we play a game then I read to him. Iv found it really helps even if we have had a shocking day and finishes in a nice note

I know it's awful!

He's currently laying on the sofa, snuggled up to his dad. He can be lovely, and sweet.

He just seems to be getting progressively cheekier and defiant. He used to have his moments, but they're becoming more regular, and it's hard work!

I want to spend nice days with him, doing stuff, but it just feels like a battle alot of the time :/

It's not hormones, that's been debunked hasn't it?
Have you tried spending more time with just him?

It can be a battle, but one thing to try is to look out for times when he is behaving well and make an effort to praise him. Every time he is behaving well, encourage and praise that. My 6yo responds much better to that than waiting until he's being awful and trying to lay down the law at that point.

I do read with him every night, and sleep with him. We play every day too.

I've always parented in a gentle, respectful way. I would never speak to him in a way that I wouldn't like to be spoken. I ask him to do things and give explainations rather than jusr assert authority or power. It has worked well and we have a great respectful relationship.
On occasion I've had to count to 5 to get him to do something (like put school shoes on). We have a great relationship. Do I'm nit sure where this defiance is coming from!
I will ask him to do something, like stop climbing on the sofa back at grandmas house and he will just sit there blankly saying no, no, no over and over completely ignoring me!
When he does it outside or in front of people it's embarassing as I feel like I've lost control!

We had a day just him, me and dh today. Dd stayed with gp as we're visiting them.
We had a great day, took him somewhere he loves to go. But he still became really cheeky at times!
I struggle personally to get one on one time with him as dh works away, 3weeks on 3weeks off. When he's home we spend a lot of time together, or dh & ds do as dh wants to see ds, but he's in school so it's only the weekends they get a good chunk of time together.

I think you need to stop what you are doing when he is cheeky, and sit him down to explain what he's just done and whether he thinks it's acceptable. Ask how he's going to reply next time etc.. Tedious for a few weeks but should really clamp down on unwanted behaviour

Thanks artandco sounds like a goid strategy :) will give it a go.
I really do love spending time with him. When he's being nice!

In his defence he's 6 years old and not a fully-formed person yet, so isn't likely to always be nice or compliant or accommodating. It sounds very much as though he's learning a bit of free will and behaving a little daft like most 6 year olds, and I'd try hard to do as Ginger says and praise everything that is good rather than focussing on the negative. You can't decide to not spend time with him because he plays you up; love, time and energy for your children shouldn't be dependent on their behaviour.

We have a huge Kilner jar in the kitchen and whoever I see anything lovely from the DCs I write it down on a post-it, share it with them, date it and pop it in there. They love their jar and regularly go through and re-read their achievements (and it can be something as tiny as holding a door for someone, sharing toys without prompts, anything positive you can think of to begin with to convince them that you're going to notice their loveliness). It works incredibly well for the 10 year old as well as the 4 year old. And saves me focussing on their less-than-savoury moments.

Both of mine had a phase at 6. I was talking about it the other day and recalling that one of them spat at me once . We also used to get language like 'loser' and general backchat.

Bear with it. He's trying to exert a bit of power and he's experimenting with pushing you. Don't worry that he's becoming a thug (I did). Just try not to rise to it - calm and firm, and ignore when you can. He is still such a little boy - albeit one with a voice that he is trying to use to his advantage.

What is 'cheeky' though?

Is he rough? Rude? Insulting? Demanding?

Do you sanction him immediately? Can you predict when it's going to happen and avoid it?

Thanks timeto love the idea of the jar :)
I know his behaviour shouldn't be affecting me spending time with him, and normally it wouldn't bother me too much and we'd just get on with our day. But recently I seem to have little patience for both of my children.... My 2yr old is very demanding! And this change in ds behaviour has thrown me.

scary He's not rough or physical. He's back chatting, ignoring requests, saying no alot when asked to do something, over excited and running off lots although not in a fleeing way, were I'd worry I'd lose him. Lots of back chat!
I don't shout at him, but have recently started giving him consequences, such as no pudding/tv but not really seeing a difference. He feels uncontrolable to me when we're out. But to others he probably doesn't seem that bad.

I feel like I lose control when I request something and he just says no! I then stand there wondering what to do next, and if I'm with other people I probably look like I'm doing a shit job!

Thanks conundrum I do struggle with what to do as a consequence and tend to brush anything I've said off as a heat of the moment thing. Maybe he's cottoned on that he doesn'nt get a comsequence, but tbf he's generally good kid, and I've never really needed them. It's just in the past 2 months his behaviours changed.
We moved away from family & close friends a yr ago, for work. I have made some new friends but the realtionship isn't close enough to be at the stage were we look after eachother's children. My ds does go in playdates after school thougj. But mainly it's me and dc when dh is away. He's fab when he's here and understands that both dc seem to be going through demanding phases atm and he does take them out, so I get a chance to recharge!

Its not unreasonable to spend time with children separately so that they sometimes have you just for themselves