to tell DS1 that he either eats his dinner cold or not at all????

[FAQinglovely]

He was actually given it nearly 1/2hr ago. He was silly about the fact that DS2 sat on "his" seat, so I asked him to go and sit on the bottom step. He refused, and what followed is barely repeatable, suffice to say, he tried to throw his booster cushion (for the car) at me, and is now banned from a multitude of "special" (to him) things for 2 months (started off a month, but after some deliberate repeated door slamming and a warning I'd add time on before he did it I added the extra month).

Anyhow, he's now calmed down enough to eat his dinner (beans on toast) and naturally after 1/2h its stone cold.

If he'd have done as he was told to start with his food would still have been hot -but his behaviour tonight was the worst I've ever seen it so it's ended up a much longer period of time before he's gone back to it.

He's 8.5 btw - so AIBU to tell him that he can eat it cold or not at all??

I do personally think some of it is just down to their personality. Of course as parents we have a responsibility to socialise our children but with some its harder than others.

My sister waited 10 years to have another child as niece was such hard work. Nephew a totally different kettle of fish - easy, hard working etc etc. Funnily enough my sister was the 'naughty one' and i was the 'good one' so my mother thinks it poetic justice that my niece has been so tricksy.

However my niece does have many wonderful qualities but does do a jolly good impression of kevin the teenager.

Morloth - he has his bath at the same time as the others - they all share the same water - but I do DS2 and 3 first so that when they're getting sorted he gets to finish off his bath on his own.

We do spend time together doing stuff (he does his violin practice and speed writing practice - both together take about 5-10 minutes straight after DS2 and 3 have gone up). Then he either reads on his own, sometimes watches something like Top Gear (which he younger brothers never let him watch in peace if it's on when they're awake lol), occasionaly wants to help me tidy up a bit, other times he'll sit and do one of the many other things that are tricky to do in decent chunks with DS3 awake - such as building with his little tiny lego pieces at the dining table, or doing one of his "street maps" (as he calls them).

With the bed wetting the enuresis clinic said last year no more pull-ups, and he refuses to wear them now anyhow. I did ring up today to find out what happened to his desmopressin prescription, but the woman from the clinic wasn't around so I'm still waiting for that

Right I'd better get these boys changed and into bed...........

tracey - DS1 has lots of lovely qualities too - kind of going to miss him going to put the kettle on for me after his brothers have gone to bed.

Morloth - the getting to sleep isn't too much of a problem (usually - unless he's reading in the dim light lol), it's the waking up ridiculously early that's the biggest problem.

FAQ - I havent caught up properly with your thread yet - but your post where you mentioned the three things:1) early waking 2)not eating lunch at school and 3) not drinking enough could have been describing ds1.

We struggle with all of those - including hearing bloody mario karts at 3 in the morning

oooo I tell you what popsy - he may be brazen enough to play games on the computer at 3am in the morning with me asleep in the same room but I don't think even DS1 would have the guts to switch the Wii on .

They're all in bed (well DS1 is making his bed, I did go to help him but he told me to go away as he can do it himself - oh well not going to argue with that LOL).

Today has been a massive improvement on yesterday.....but still - where's my coffee???????

its on his Nintendo DS! The Wii lives in a box in my bedroom And the DS now lives on a shelf in my bedroom too

DS1 struggles with all of the things that you have mentioned. He is often up for the day around 5:30 and has taken to sneaking downstairs when he knows he has to pop his head in the door first. The early waking and non-sleepig ds2 and ds3 combination is driving me insane

oh 5.30 would be heaven LOL.

20hrs and 49 minutes (approx) until I'm childfree for the weekend - yipee - and even better as i got a longer extension for my assignment than I asked for I don't have to spend the entire weekend studying either (so shall probably go and do my big grocery shop, finish catching up with the washing, unpack a few more boxes etc etc instead lol)

And sleeping, FAQ. Don't forget the sleep!!

haha at sleeping - I went out on the night before my birthday - didn't get home until 3.15am, went to be about 4.30ish - full intended to spend at least the morning in bed, if not some of the afternoon too...........

I was awake and downstairs again at just gone 9 .

qwell ds1 woke me at 345 this morning by weeing on the landing in his sleep
argh

oh no!. DS1 got up this morning and was faffing around in the kitchen just before six.

Had a bit of nightmare (not in the argument/strop type way - more the constipation/pooing issue) with him this mrning that resulted in both of them being late for school as DS1 insisted the poo was coming and as it's such a battle to get him to poo (and when he hasn't for a while that also affects his mood) I figured being late for school was worth it just to get the damn thing out of his system.

Well my 8.55 I'd given up and called tax and he still hasn't done it ARGHHHHH

(and DS2 was a little sod this morning too)

FAQ - looking positively, just before 6 is a lot better than 3am.

Ds is also prone to taking rather a long time when he poos (is this something they inherit from their fathers?)

he'd be a lot quicker if he pooed more often >> and if he pooed more often I would have skid marked pants to wash almost every sodding day

dittany - it would be if he'd gone to sleep straight away last night .

However - it's more than normal so hopefully he'll be in a better mood this afternoon - actualy he will do anyhow as DH will be here - he's coming ronund early to do a few bits for me

the not drinking and the constipation are probably linked....

My exhusband didn't sleep much so you have my sympathy. If you are not getting much sleep, coffee and tea are best avoided. Acupuncture is great for helping with sleep issues. I used to sleep on the sofa but I've found I get a much better sleep when I go to bed (which is also setting a better example) and your son just might be getting up to check where you are. Do you let him sleep with you at all? I've also found I slept better when I wasn't worrying about getting OU study done. I need two mobile phone alarms plus a cheapo digital watch alarm to get me up. I don't have a naughty step for my DD - I just make her kneel down on her knees and think about what she has done or said and why it was wrong. That was she has to think about 'things' and the punishment is instant. I let her get up when she has apologised. My DD used to get up early. I told her she had to do the dishes before she could put the telly on so that seemed to take the fun out of it. Good luck and lots of hugs - it ain't easy.