Posting here for traffic, looking for some advice.
If I'm being paranoid please tell me. I'm fully aware I may be and this may be completely normal and nothing to worry about yet, but looking for opinions and the experience of others.
So to give an overview DS is 19mo. He is a confident, strong willed child and one of the things I I would describe him is a 'bit of a handful'. He is mostly a happy child who is very much into everything. He loves to climb on everything and anything he can, in other people's houses he runs about everywhere and likes to get everything out (obviously I don't let him!). If made to stay in one room he tends to throw some really impressive tantrums which can last a while. If I tell him firmly 'no' not to do something he completely ignores me and does it anyway, often looking at me and smirking. He's very destructive and often deliberately tries to break/dismantle things- it's like he has a knack for finding things to do that he shouldn't! He's recently started hitting, and he doesn't even do it when he's angry, he just does it randomly and then laughs when we tell him off. He's a very chatty, interactive child and I'd say his speech is really quite advanced. He can name lots of objects/animals/family members, all the body parts, makes all the animal noises etc, and he seems to have quite a GSOH already and loves to make people laugh. He's not usually very affectionate with me and DP, unless he's very tired, but is very very affectionate with our cat, his cuddly toys and often his GPs (more so my DF and DFIL- he definitely prefers men over women ATM). He's definitely a little character but tbh I've never really thought any of this was that unusual for his age or of any concern.
Earlier this morning we took him to a toddler football class- a free trial to see if he liked it before we signed up for weekly classes. It's for ages 18mo-3yrs old. He's obsessed with footballs and often runs around shouting 'gooooaaaal' so we thought he might like it. There were 10 little boys there with their parents. Some I'd say we're older than DS at around 2 or 3 but there were others there who looked the same age. Firstly, the lady running the class asked all the boys and a parent to sit in a circle with their football, and go round and say their name (or their parent to say it) but from the off DS would not sit still for a second even though every other child sat excitedly and attentively in the circle. DS wriggled and threw a tantrum and ran off. He continued to do this throughout all of the activities and did not attempt to join in on one single one. He was the only child not joining in. They were all very simple activities, kicking the ball into the goal, putting the ball on various body parts etc. DS just would not pay attention at all to any of it, instead he ran around picking up all the goal posts and knocking them over, finding the plugs on the wall and turning the switches on and off, trying to run out of the door and trying to steal any other child's drink he could see. He threw lots of tantrums as I was trying to control him and was very much the odd one out. Needless to say we won't be signing him up just yet!
Tbf he was tired as the class took place at his usual nap time so he wasn't himself. And we live in a flat so I wonder if that's why he's so manic when we go anywhere (although he does get out a lot).
Does any of this sound like anything to worry about at this stage? It was just the fact that he was the only child who didn't pay attention at all whatsoever to any of it, it was really quite embarrassing, especially when the staff were really trying hard to get his attention and he would just run off and try to destruct things, he just wants to do his own thing.
Opinions? As I say I'm fully aware this may be nothing to worry about at this stage, I don't really have many points of reference.