11 year old boys

[LT76]

my 11 year old son seems to be getting frustated and angry when you ask or tell him something specific. He makes me feel as if i am having a go at him. He gets upset and huffs and puffs.

Other times he is the sweetest little boy which he has always been. My mum reckons i should walk away after i have asked him to do something/told him off so he cant have the last word and i realise i am being a bit soft but hate the thought of him going off to school upset. Instead today he went off to school without a care in the world an i'm the one left feeling bad.

My DS is 10.5 and is just the same.

Huffs and puffs and generally acts as if yo have asked for the moon on a stick (as my Mum used to say) when you ask him to do anything! Everything seems to be a HUGE effort. Then he turns around and wants hugs!!!!

Don't know if I have anything useful to add as my DS is my only DC so have no other experience to go on. I am taking the line that this is fairly normal behaviour and he is just growing up and finding his feet, so to speak. I try to adopt a very calm exterior (whatever his hystrionics (sp?) are going on inside) and speak calmly and fairly. If he really pushes it I ask him to go to his room to sit quietly and think about his behaviour.

I am sure someone will be along soon who has a wealth of experience in this area.

Good luck. Stay calm ... it can't go on forever

another one here too! He gets annoyed if his little brother does something which was originally asked of him .

I blame hormones, but then I have been blaming them since he was 3!!!

Ditto!...

My advice talk to your DS class teacher and tell her, if you are worried about him coming into school upset. Children (certainly by this point in the year) should have a relationship with their class teacher and if they do come in upset are given time to cool down, reflect or talk to an adult about the argument/incident that occured before school. This tends to work well IME because the child has time to think and talk to someone outside of their family about it.

I am speaking from very recent experience here. I teach year 6 and have had 2 boys come in wanting to cool down and chat in the past month. Parents have said life has gotten better at home when i called them a week later.

Hope this helps!

I think it probably is hormones.
I have 2 boys slightly older than 11 and both had some behavioural changes at that age. DS1 became very over sensitive and would be in floods of tears regularly. DS2 was more likely to get a bit stroppy and argumentative.
Keep up the hugs and remember they are up one minute and down the next so he's probably forgotton all about it by the time he gets to school.

Another 11 year old in our house, who has transformed over the last year. I was seriously considering boarding school after the first week of this term.

Then, for the last two mornings he has taken on (of his own volition) the task of making breakfast for us all. Still huffs and puffs if asked to help clear the dishes, mind!

to boarding school.That had crossed our minds at some point too!

This sounds very much like my son too! My post the other day - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/1132263-11-year-old-sons-behaviour-normal

fun isn't it?!