I think there should be a bloody support group for parents of 3 year olds

[Limelight]

It's like DS woke up a couple of months ago as a completely different person.

'Trying' incidents today:

1. Complete refusal to even consider wearing any clothes. I mean, would genuinely have been very happy if I'd agreed to send him to pre-school in the buff.

2. Running out into the road.

3. Massive screaming kicking throwing things level tantrum because I'd dared suggest we go out with his friends to a club he normally loves. Because the children are naughty and it's all soggy. Apparently. Needless to say we didn't go because by the time he'd calmed down it was too late. So he had another massive tantrum because he couldn't go.

4. Massive sulk because a kid he didn't know decided to play on the wrong slide. Apparently.

5. Complete refusal to eat the dinner he helped me make because it had (completely imaginary) green bits in it. I wouldn't mind except it's normally one of his favourites.

Now admittedly he's very recently had chicken pox and is still a little irritable but when I think about it, he's been like this for a few months. I also have a 10wo DD which isn't helping. He loves her but is not hugely happy with DH and I for changing his life.

Totally exhausted. Going for a bath and a lie down.

How can DS survive on less sleep than me? FFS. I am so tired this morning. Had "yoga school" last night (what DS and DH call my yoga teacher training) and it ended at 10:30 pm, drove like crazy to MIL's who had DS, home at 11:30. DS of course feel asleep in the car two minutes after leaving MIL's at 11 pm. And no, I totally didn't expect him to go to sleep for her, MIL's is Play Time Central for DS, they had a blast playing all night and he doesn't settle well for anyone else anyway. Anyway, I didn't get to sleep until midnight or just after. Bloody DS woke up at 7 am!!!! Why couldn't this be one of those mornings when he slept until 8:30??? FFS! He's going to be awful later. Poor DH who'll be home with him this afternoon and evening (more yoga school for me, until 9 pm tonight).
I am sooooooo grumpy this morning .

Can I join too please? This is my true home at the moment! My dd1 was so mild mannered until a few weeks ago... she's going to be 3 at the end of the month and seems to have recently undergone a personality change!

She shouts at her 7 month old sister not to look at her when dd2 is watching her play in admiration and smiling at her "No! Don't look! Don't loook! "

She says "I don't like you any more mummy cos you say No" and tells her daddy she doesn't like him any more all the time, and sort of barks "Ahhh!" at her grandad and anyone on the street who says hello to her or any of my friends. Tis so embarassing

Worst at the moment is that she won't let me change her nappies and it's a constant battle. Have tried to potty train her but she wasn't ready last time. Definitely going to try again v soon though as I'm so sick of all the battles, her running round the house with a pooey nappy shouting No! No! Nooooo! and kicking me over and over when I try to change her. I confess I gave her a spank on the thigh today for doing just that She wouldn't stop kicking me, was escaping and running round bouncing her pooey bum on my bed. Feel so ashamed. I'd tried everything and we were late for going out to do something nice, and I jsut snapped. Really don't want to do it ever again

But what could I do if she just refused point blank all day to get her nappy changed? Tie her down??

I feel your pain petisa, it seems like nothing you do has an affect. I've lost count of the number of times i've told my dd off today alone. Starting to think that she's ignoring me on purpose. She's an olny child so generally she doesn't have to share her toys/space so anytime we are with other kids she can be a real horror.

I might just go into hiding until she turns 4.

Aw thanks Sunshine. It's so draining being in naughty/telling off mode all day isn't it. Sometimes I wonder where happy bubbly having fun mummy and dd1 have gone... She seems so serious these days, even her games are so serious, and if I try to join in I'm not doing it right "no, no noooooo mummy!"

To be fair, and not a total moaner, we do have some laughs every day. I find the more one on one time I do playing with her, the better she behaves. It's hard to get the time though sometimes, isn't it!

My dd went on a rampage this morning, the cause? My mum had gone upstairs for a shower. It was worthy of a riot, throwing things at me, trying to bite me, pulling and pushing things over.

DS finally got his pronouns the right way round yesterday when he got told off for nearly sliding into the fire - and told me he didn't like me any more. :(
Up until yesterday he has always said "you don't like me any more mummy" after being told off, which is easily dealt with because we always tell him "of course we like and love you, DS" - but I always had a sneaking suspicion he had his pronouns the wrong way round. Hey ho. We had a little chat about telling people that you don't like them makes them sad and is not a nice thing to do, but I doubt he'll remember.

Petisa - I know it's not the done thing, but please forgive yourself for the slap on the leg - sometimes it's the only thing that has any impact on them when they're completely in their own heads, doing their own thing and ignoring any outside input! DS is still in nappies but he likes to take them off himself when possible (never with a poo in) but he can only do his night nappy (disposable), not his day nappies (cloth). He's nearly ready for potty training though, nearly...

Gread thread (loving the fact I've seen at least 3 of my PN thread friends whilst scanning through the messages )

DD won't eat bread with seeds anymore (stupid DH told her the seeds were ants once and now she won't touch it, despite admitting she knows they're not ants).

Contraryness is her speciality.

She doesn't want breakfast...until its time to take DS2 to school, then she's starving.

She says she is too tired to walk to pick up DS2 from school. Throws huge tantrum about walking. Throws huge tantrum about putting a coat on. Turns into an octopus when I try and put her in the buggy and screams/kicks the entire way to the school because she wanted to WALK (by this time we are running too late for her to walk)

She will refuse to walk whilst out. Screams and tantrums at being carried "No Mummy, no! You're hurting me, you're hurting me. I want to walk, I promise, I promise!" (not sure where that one comes from...) I put her down, she refuses to walk

She won't use the toilet unless it is clean. Seriously. If it hasn't been flushed (I have 2 boys who often can't be bothered forget) she will flush it before using it. If there is even the tiniest skid mark ( I have 2 boys etc) she won't use it until I've cleaned it. Public toilets are interesting, we got some strange looks today as she looked in each cubicle until she found a suitable one - worth it for avoiding the tantrum though!

And yet...within seconds of tantrum-end, she's the sweetest loveliest little thing ever!

Petisa - the paragraph about the nappy changing, I could have written that myself about DS a couple of months ago, including the smack on the thigh . It is awful, but it drives you to your wits' end!
It does get better DS (who is 3.3) is now potty trained but again a couple of months ago I despaired of ever being able to train him!
Have a look on this thread for some tips and reassurance. encouragement for parents of reluctant potty trainers. Pretty much in agreement on child led potty training and waiting until the child is ready. And we are all are unanimously in agreement that 3 is NOT too old to potty train, despite some idiots on other potty training threads saying it is

Had to add another gem here just to make you all roll your eyes...I was relaying my 3yr old twin dds antics in my workplace, I suppose i was enjoying the vent if im honest! One older lady who is an ex teacher, piped up 'Well in all my years teaching when you see naughty children, you only have to look at the parents'.......!!! That stopped me in my tracks!! Obviously i dont agree with this for the majority of 3 year old behaviour, but i was speechless! Did question my own behaviour for a split second...
After reading this thread though i feel much better and less of a shouty, no fun mum. Thank you all!!

Thanks for that link, Kara! :)

Aw you're all so kind and non-judgey - thank you! And helpful too, thanks for the link Kara!

Going to try potty training again once we are all a bit less full of the cold and grumpy. I'm also going to re-read Playful Parenting, I've found it so useful but could do with refreshing my memory a bit!

FFS, hellswelshy, she seriously said that??? What a corn !!

Corn??????? COW!

Bloody iPhone :o

Corn could become the new MN insult.

"Blah blah blah bitchy comment."
"Shut up, you corn!"

:o

Hellswelshy - that teacher was being a bitch. And obviously unfamiliar with 3yos!

Another amusing anecdote here.

Chopped up some strawberries. Got a bowl out of the cupboard to out them in.
Took them outside to DS who was eating his lunch.
DS "I don't like strawberries!"
Me "Good, all the more for me"
DS "Oh Mummy, that's a blue bowl! Blue is MY favourite colour! You should have a pink one!"
Me "We don't have any pink ones only blue ones"
DS "But it's MINE!!!!!"
Me "But I like blue as well"
DS "No you are not you like pink!!! You can't have blue!!"

Cue a load of wailing.

Oh and I let him go out front on his trike while I weeded the front garden with strict instructions not to go near the road. He went near the road. Moved him away. did it again. Eventually took him in. Cue screaming tantrum.

DS: What day is it?
Me: It's Sunday
DS: I don't go (to preschool) on Sundays
Me: No
DS: NOOOOO I said I don't go on Sundays
Me: Yes I know I was agreeing with you
DS: So I don't go on Sunday?
Me: No preschool is closed on Sunday because it's the weekend
DS: Why? Why isn't there any preschool? Why is it the weekend?
Me:
DS: Waht day is it in the morning?
Me: Tomorrow is Monday
DS: Nooooo what day is it IN THE MORNING?? (you stupid woman)
Me: Monday
DS: Do I go on Monday?
Me: You normally go on Mondays but not tomorrow because it's still the holidays
DS: I SAID DO I GO ON MONDAY?
Me: Yes
DS: But I'm not going tomorrow am I? Because it's the holidays. Have I got preschool in the morning?

Repeat x 100

Is rudeness to others normal?? I am gobsmacked at just how bloody rube DS is at the moment :(

Marypoppins my dd used to smile and say hello to everyone, and now she glowers and barks at them. No amount of "Don't shout, it's unkind, say hello" makes any difference. I suppose it's normal and is a developmental stage. Maybe mistrust of others is not a bad thing? That's what I tell myself anyway.

DDs supposed to be tidying up their toys before sitting down for dinner. DD2 comes into the kitchen and sits at the table.

DH: Have you finished tidying?
DD: No, I'm having a rest.
DH: You need to go and help DD1 tidy.
DD: No, I'm having a rest.
DH: Please go and tidy up now.
DD: Daddy, stop 'organising' me!

Brilliant.

Just wanted to share this because it made me smile so much!
DS is a thumb sucker but I need to break him of it because he is affecting one of his front teeth. So, he was sucking his thumb yesterday morning and I have decided he's only allowed to do it when he's going to sleep now (and then stop him altogether) so I said "are you tired?"
DS: no
Me: but you're sucking your thumb
DS: yes, I like to
Me: but if you suck it all the time, you'll suck it all away and then you won't have any thumb left
DS: no more thumb?
Me: that's right, it'll all disappear
DS: Ok, mummy, I only suck thumb for sleepies.

Last night, sitting on the sofa
DS: I suck thumb now, mummy, ok?

Hope it works...

Hellswelsh - bet that miserable old woman never had a 3yo of her own, hmm.

'Ok, mummy, I only suck thumb for sleepies.'

Awwwww that is so cute.

BTW I only suck my thumb for sleepies too. But it will wreck his teeth, one of my top incisors is pushed higher into the gum than the other because of this.

BTW DS was still going on about the "Mummy's strawberries in MY blue bowl" saga this morning! Still I have eaten all the strawberries now :D

I know - I thought because I sucked my thumb until I was 7 and caused no problems, he might be ok - but he pulls on one front incisor and it's pulling outwards a little. :( and I know that it could cause problems with his big teeth as well.

Hopefully update re: DS and nursery (it's OmShantiJacks in my Easter disguise) - only had one wail of "I don't want to go to nursery" this morning, and then he ran to the door once we got there, and was all chatty and happy. We'll see how the day goes .

Otherwise, he was his usual sweet self this weekend with a moment of utter sod-ness thrown in: DH was vacuuming up something with the little hand-held Dirt Devil vac, put it down for a second, and DS grabbed it and chased after the cat with it . The bloody cat nearly had a heart attack, poor thing. Oh, we were so pissed off with him.

I'm honestly finding three years old much harder than two.