Terrible twos?! Why does no-one mention terrible threes?! My 3 yo DS is driving me potty.

[Greedygirl]

I am so embarrassed as, whenever we meet up with friends or they come to our house, my 3 yo DS spends most of the time crying over one thing or another. Yesterday we went to soft play and he must have cried about 10 times with the slightest provocation. No-one elses child seems to cry this much! A good job I suppose because he is doing enough crying for the rest of them!! I have tried ignoring the crying but tbh I tend to get cross with him which I know doesn't help. Tips would be nice but reassurance that this is normal for a 3 yo would be even nicer!

oh jelly that sounds like our house DH is a secondary teacher and he thinks they are a doddle in comparison. DH keeps saying "Is this normal?" "Is every 3 year old like this?" God help him, 95% of the time, DS is really good!

Jellyrolly - think of the P & P! Yes, sometimes he is so gorgeously behaved and makes me so proud and he is very cuddly and loving so it is not all bad at all .

Cory - thanks for that ray of light!

Mandy1978 - I agree with your Dad, it really is hard work sometimes. I always say that, when he is going through a challenging stage, he always seems to sense when I have absolutely had enough and then morphs into an angel child who can do no wrong. A while ago he said "oh OK mummy!" to every single instruction, request or suggestion! It was amazing. Then he discovered free will.

DH is also a teacher maxybrown, you would think they would be streets ahead when it comes to parenting but I wonder if being in charge of kids who mostly do what they're told just gives them unrealistic expectations!

Greedygirl, it's all sorted, buyer to collect bidding starting at 99p.

Ah yes, I forgot about buyer collect! We may be onto something. But he looks so damn cute when he is asleep! I may hold on to him for a while yet.

Less crying today but constant inane noises!

Maxybrown - my DH took him to the cinema and then was annoyed when they got back to the car and found that my DS had left his teddy and they had to go back and get him. My DH is firmly of the opinion that DS should have taken responsibility for the teddy!! Unrealistic expectations perhaps!

3 was much harder tahn 2 for us with ds. Got a few months where we had it all pegged, haha, then he started school. Now we have insolence, which can be funny, some playground bad language and a lot of stressed mummy!

ha ha ha oh men, so funny! We have a lab pup now and DS ADORES him - but of course it's like having two pups - I think DH thinks DS will act like a responsible adult when around the dog

My DH is firmly of the opinion that DS should have taken responsibility for the teddy

Your DH is nuts Your DS is 3, whilst he may remember about Teddy, he may not remember about Teddy until you have got home, or worse still, at bedtime.

Children of all ages present challenges from time to time - or quite often in fact.

He has his moments NannyNick!

Wearymum - I think your name says it all!

Terrible twos, frightful threes and fucking awful fours. DD came good around five, then decended back down to a pit of insolence around six. Up again at seven but we've started the descent into adolesence already.
I do love her enormously, but she is a challenge.

I too was very smug that my twin boys were adorable 2's. Then they turned 3 and were possessed by evil !!
I spend most of my days being referee in what seems like a WWF fight and now their language is improving, so is their ability to answer back !!
My ears cannot take much more of the whining and squealing!! Our naughty spots are wearing thin too !!
My attempts at reasoning are usually met with "bum bum" (or worse, thanks to some delightful boy at nursery who uses very unsavoury language).
I think it's just a hard age for parent and child alike. Parents are used to the child doing as they say and not having the ability to argue and child can now converse and provoke reaction with language and actions.

I'm seriously hoping we don't get f*ing fours, I won't cope with 2 of them !!

Oh the language, the cheek, the answering back, they run rings around me.

DS2 threw Lego across the room in a tantrum then refused to pick any up, I said we would do it together and said pass me the bits by the (unlit) fire. But I'm not allowed near the fire came the sarcastic reply. Once after a long drawn out argument about washing hands I snapped "DS1! Just get in the bathroom and wash your hands!" "There's no bath in there, it's not a bathroom" It was the downstairs toilet. I give up.