To think 4 year olds are fucking hard work

[HerRoyalFattyness]

Sometimes.

Well. Mine is.

DS1 is 11 and shares a room with DS2 (PITA 4yo)

DS1 got a Lego millennium falcon for Christmas.
He stored it safely in my room as it was too big for the shelves he has over his bunk bed (which is where he usually keeps things he doesn't want his brother to get)

DS2 tonight has decided to sneak into my room, carry the falcon back to their room and destroy it.
Now I know he's only 4 and just wanted to play. I know he didn't mean to break it.

But he did.
And now I've knelt down to help DS1 clear up the debris and knelt on a piece of fucking Lego and cut my knee

DS1 is completely not bothered by this and just said poor Chewie lost Han all over again because Han solo was in half

But argh. I'll be having words tomorrow. He knows he's not meant to be in my room without me. He knows he's not meant to get out of bloody bed unless he needs a wee or something.

I'm not looking forward to it. He can throw.a right tantrum when he wants.

So AIBU to think he's a PITA?

I honestly feel like a shit mum for feeling this way sometimes.

My 4 year old can also be a little menace. She climbs the bannister on out way the house, gets in to the fridge and to demolish the yoghurts and runs off down the road with me chasing after her.

Other than that, she's and absolute delight. So inquisitive, hilarious and sweet.

I think every age has it's good and bad. Good out weighing the bad always.

I have a three yo. I do not want to know

SinkGirl

I do only have one destroyer. But I also have a 6 year old who is sly and cunning and horrid.

God I hope the teen years are easier.

My 4 year old definitely has her moments. Only when she pauses for breath though

I know its not a popular view, but IME behind every wilful child is an ineffectual parent.

I hate to see DC being blamed for being badly behaved when, by the age of 4, repeated bad behaviour is a parenting problem, not a DC one.

I think parents in general need to up their game and recognise that, yes, all DC behave badly sometimes, but when that happens the answer is to step up the parenting/consequences, not just shrug your shoulders and ignore it.

DCOkeford

Have you read the thread?
It certainly isn't a parenting problem when I have 2 other children who don't behave this way, I'm trained to deal with behavioural issues in children and with children with SEN.

There are also other posters on here who's children have SEN and they do not need you looking down your nose at them.

So why don't you come down off your high horse and actually pay attention.

Being a parent is hard bloody work at times. And yes, kids are badly behaves sometimes and quite frankly they can be horrible little shits.
Doesn't mean we don't parent them

My son who just turnt 5 on Xmas day... not hard work. Never really has been.

My daughter turns 4 this June... every day is a battle. She's a happy little girl but so stubborn, doesn't want to listen, help, wants treats etc but not willing to even pick a toy up! Will scream and cry over anything she's not getting her own way on.

I'm pregnant with my 3rd and over joyed it's a boy because of how my daughter can be!
Ynbu imo.

The PP who posted about their child spraying water all over the floor, my DD’s did this when they were 4 and 5 except with fabreeze . The floor was like an ice rink, they thought it was hilarious. They also poured nail varnish in the bathroom sink at that age which was an absolute nightmare to remove and I was pissed off because it was a brand new quite expensive nail polish...

Four definitely is hard work OP, I feel your pain. Seven is a nightmare too, all of mine have turned into utter gremlins at seven.

It isn’t just your one!! My 4 year old DD is a bloody menace. She’s just started school and has the attitude of a 15 year old. It’s driving me insane

Don't get too excited, Roozy. I've got 3 boys...

Roozy DS1 was and is an angel.
DD is strong willed and a bit of a monkey on the sly. I nicknamed her demon, thinking (foolishly) that no child could be as bad as her.
DS2... Oh dear lord. Pretty certain he's the antichrist

My 4 year old has only just stopped waking his newborn brother 'to play' at any given opportunity. It's not him who has to rock this baby for half an hour to get him to sleep

I think this takes the biscuit when it comes to things that would push me over the edge. 😠

My eldest used to turn the speed on her sister's swing (sister was a refluxer who would only stop screaming in one of those baby swings ever so slightly upright) from "gentle baby rock" to "would put Alton Towers to shame thrill ride" - oh gawd the memories!

@DCOkeford of do please fuck yourself with a cactus.
My children aren't bad.
They're tiny people who have views and wants and personalities and don't understand why I get what I want all the time (like going good shopping) and they don't.

OP, they can’t warn us about it all because otherwise no one would have children! The species relies on us poor buggers not having a clue until it’s too late.

My sunny happy 3yo became a ghastly 4yo. I figured it was the way to resign me to sending him to school - I needed the damned respite.

Example - 14month old screams. I dash into the room. “What happened?”

4yo - “He can’t talk. He can’t tell you what I did.”

DCOkeford if it was a matter of parenting then these children would never outgrow the difficult stages. But they do, which suggests that your conclusion is incorrect. Good parenting does not prevent difficult times from happening; it does however set the stage for things to get better.

4yo - “He can’t talk. He can’t tell you what I did.”

Well, he's not wrong

4yo - “He can’t talk. He can’t tell you what I did.”

😂😂😂

I'm so sorry @CameFromAway but you have an absolute genius.

"slides off the couch like she’s made of liquid" 😂😂😂 they are so dramatic.

Wait til he's 7/8. They start making random weird noises and revert to stupid baby talk. And they still put lava all over the houses of their brothers minecraft and murder their pigs

My 4 yr old is bad too. Constant questions and is a twat going to school at the moment. Lovely in school though lol. Horribly fussy eater.

She has redeemed herself a bit this week after telling her if she keeps leaving half eaten food about then we'll get mice. After she went to bed I found she's taken care of the mouse issue

OMFG my 5 year old started talking in a baby voice.
It's been driving me over the edge.

I keep saying to him that I won't listen to that stupid voice and asking him why he does it!

He moans he just doesn't know.

@ddraigygoch, he’s 20 now and has continued in that vein ever since!

He slays me.

My very near 4 year old needs two sets of eyes on him at all times and still manages to [insert various destructive happenings] he also has an amazing knack of hearing me then carrying on regardless. "No mum mum iwouldnt" "a course mummy" both mean "ha ha woman this is fun".

Mine drives me crazy even when she’s being lovely, just the endless questions and role play and pulling at me. I’m genuinely thinking of starting some kind of take a break retreat for mothers - when they are burnt out and at their wits end just to come for an afternoon, sit in a log cabin with books & sofa & a fire & Netflix while I look after the child for a few hours (I am qualified!) but then I suppose they have childminders.