To be frustrated with my clumsy 4yo?

[georgarina]

I feel bad but it's CONSTANT!

I've made him a snack and he's fallen out of his chair 3 fucking times in the past 10 minutes!! Once he stood up in his chair and collapsed, once he accidentally tipped his table over and once...I don't even know what happened, he was just suddenly on the floor screaming.

He's always like this...is it normal? I'm doing yoga breaths trying to keep it together

Update: he's just tipped his bowl down himself

I would he speaking to the GP.
It could be DCD and really not his fault at all.

I'll look up DCD. I know it's not his fault, I think he just has too much energy. He does sports and is very coordinated.

I agree with @Pinkflipflop85 one of the additional needs my 9 year has is DCD and he was very much like that at 4.

I mean, four year olds are not known for being the most careful and coordinated of people so it's hard to know whether he is unusually clumsy or whether this is just One Of Those Days when a child just seems to lurch from one mishap to another. Is he your only child? Do you meet a lot of other kids his age? Am just wondering if you have other kids to compare to him in terms of clumsiness.

How does he do with other physical tasks? Can he hold a crayon OK, throw a ball, clap his hands, run, climb on things, follow instructions for physical movements? I'm dyspraxic, so was an extremely clumsy child and constantly falling over, bumping into things, tripping over thin air etc.

What kind of chair? What is he doing when he falls? ie climbing, rocking, standing on it, showing off etc

I don't know what he's doing, it's like I'm constantly hearing a scream or a bang and something's happened. And he looks nervous and tries to clean up which makes me feel bad, because I don't want to snap at him if it's not his fault. It's just so hard not to say FOR GOD'S SAKE BE CAREFUL!

He's one of three but he's the oldest. His friends don't seem markedly different to him. He does trip and bump into things a lot but not sure if more than normal. Nursery have never brought it up. And he doesn't like drawing so not much opportunity to observe there.

My 5 yo DC is like this, I’m beginning to think it’s abnormal and I need to see someone about it but don’t know where to start. Her teacher describes it as her brain being out the door before her legs can catch up. It’s so hard not to be frustrated when it’s constant falling over/walking into things/knocking things every day, I know it’s not her fault

Maybe a different chair needed? Something like the Tripp trapp in child mode is really stable and can be adjusted so they aren’t swinging legs or sitting on knees for height.

I would look at something like a wobble cushion for him.

make sure he has his feet able to sit firmly on the floor too

I have no practical advice other than please, please don't make an issue out of this

Posted too soon!
I am dyspraxic and I utterly utterly hate myself for being so clumsy all the time, my parents got so frustrated with me and I got punished for being cack handed, not concentrating, not being careful enough, being careless, having no consideration for anyone else, being teased about it, laughed at and bullied. It hurts being clumsy like this, honestly no one continues to do this on purpose or just because they're careless.
Tell him it's ok, work with him instead of against him, ask what happened and really listen to the answer.

I have a 4 year old and he is constantly falling off stuff and banging into things. However, this is because he is constantly pushing boundaries/limits eg will swing on chairs and climb on things he shouldn’t, or run indoors (obvs I try to stop him doing these things). I have no concerns about him whatsoever because he’s always had v good motor skills (gross and fine - could ride a pedal bike at 2.11, draws really well) so I wouldn’t immediately leap to additional needs unless you have other concerns there. I think little kids with lots of energy are just boundary pushers.

Regarding your update I have a lot of empathy a couple of years ago my eldest of three was four years old too and like you described i would literally blink and he'd have banged his head or fallen off something or dropped something and I'd feel like a horrible mum always saying why can't you just be careful etc.

Looking back I was just too thinly spread with a baby toddler and four year old. I also am guilty of probably expecting too from him because he was the oldest and being a typical first born he generally was quite mature. I had to catch myself a few times and remind myself that he's only four of course he's going to drop things or fall over...we're just lulled into a sense of security as they seem mature beyond their years!

Funny enough my second who is now four seems to be always falling over to the point I'm like for goodness sake but o have a lot more patience now (still annoying though) as I don't have a tiny baby clung to me as well as a toddler (there's only one of those now!). And being my second he doesn't seem as grown up as my first at that age.

Neither of them has any sign of dcd and are very agile and good at sports.

It might be a different scenario for you but your op sounds very similar to me a few years. I feel you it is bloody frustrating and guilt inducing at the same time! If it gets too wild bung on paw patrol or throw chocolate biscuits at them and remind yourself the years are short and the days are long and when your a granny in the park you can be one of those that doesn't remember the bad days just they were angels the whole time 😅 (it's what I tell myself) ❤️