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.

Loving this thread, have been lurking for a while as DS is now 3 and also has a new sister of 5 weeks.
He's adjusted to the baby better than I thought he would and it's good to hear that his tantrums aren't just because of his new sibling.
My particular favourite tantrum this week was because his bag of crisps wasn't full "all the way to the top." Even though he saw me open the packet and I explained that if they were full they would get broken (his other major no-no). The problem was eventually solved when his nan cut the crisp packet in half with a pair of scissors.
Anything he drinks also has to be full "all the way to the top" even after he's drunk some, havn't found a solution for that one yet.

"Terrible twos" was so badly termed. "Terrible threes", that's more like it. It's all about asserting their independence and space, and testing, testing, testing you. Our three year old has currently worked out she can stack stools and chairs, climb onto the kitchen surface area, run along to the sink and get the knives. Cue instant move of EVERYTHING.

It gets better. Or, at least, it gets different.

I had 7 hours' sleep last night. 7!! I'd forgotten what it feels like to feel semi-human.

I gave ds2 a star chart, drew a big clock with the hands showing six o'clock on a piece of card and stuck it next the clock in his room. He did wake at 5 but I went in and reminded him about the sticker and he went back to bed!! Now here's the sly part- I turned the hands back half an hour on his clock yesterday- so it was actually half past six when he got up. WOOHOO!

Then he had me, DH and ds1 (15) all making huge cheers and fusses about his lie-in. Fingers crossed for tonight...

So at least I haven't haad a tantrum today due to being overtired!

Unlike yesterday when I got stroppy

I think you're right MrsJoshHomme he was mostly good today. Didn't listen well but not really any tantrums. I fear the kaboom will be bigger the longer it gets!!

shodan what a fab idea drawing the huge picture I am going to use that if you don't mind when the current incentive on getting ready without running off has settled in.

We've had a really good day no meltdowns and DS slept for 5 hours solid last night I got 4.5hours sleep in one hit last night for the first time in 6 months.

shodan brilliant idea, that would work so well for dd1 as she loves sticker charts but with dd2 up and bouncing at 5:30 I doubt she'd manage to go back to sleep.

No melt downs yet, came down the stairs herself, has 'helped' with the washing and making breakfast nd has 'won' getting her clothes on before her ds which always helps. Now for the challenge of getting dd1 to pre-school whilst keeping dd2 asleep long enough for me to get back and get some work done!

okay so I've had a good moan about DD now to share the good stuff, it's only fair on her

In the past couple of days she has been pretty much an angel for me (there is obviously something in the water at the moment). She has however been a madam at pre-school makes a change for it to be that way around.

Today we spent an hour in Tesco choosing her reward for hitting her good behaviour pebble target. It was lovely.

should say we ended up with a Tinkerbell styling play kit not my sort of thing but she loves it.

Oh this thread has cheered me up no end. My dd was an Angel until she hit 3, now 3.5 and has fine-tuned her tantrums to tyrannical proportions. We have no end of tantrums because Jessie (TS3 dolly) is on the 'wrong sofa mummy THE WRONG SOFA' I swear that doll looks as stressed as I do at the end of each day

dd: mummy who's that?
me: no idea
dd:is he your friend?
me:no it's a random man in the street
dd:why is he not your friend?
me:i don't know him, he's a random man in the street
dd:does he want to be your friend?
mm: silently screaming.........
and on and on about 500 times a day

she thinks i know everybody, and it drives me insane,

where do I sign up?...oh, hang on, no time for MN as bloody darling DD1 is still awake nearly 2 hours after I put her to bed....

Nice to see you Filly

Teeheeteehee...... Oh I love this thread so much, Heather & Darkside your posts could have been written about my DS Not only have both my two been convinced I know everyone, I apparently know their names, and sometimes where they work and where they are going, and why they are doing x, y, z , I sometimes feel I am in a daze as i 500th time that day.

DD at this age also used to quiz us over every single bit of graffiti - who did, what are their names, why, why, why etc etc , thankfully she has grown out of it.

DS has not been too bad these past two days, though I feel he has been on the cusp, or on the edge of it all going menkle........ have managed to deflect a few instances by being calmer than I normally am, not getting ruffled, trying to listen harder and not shouting or raising my voice, so far has worked.

I'm very late to this party but god knows I need support.

I'm signing in and then going back to reread the thread and then sob a bit more.

Hello - I'm skintagain and am being beaten by a 3.3yo DD.

Hello Skintagain,

Here, have another and some to go with it. Come back for a rant later, it you're like me reading this thread has given me a huge warm cuddle and made me feel better and made me see that I am not the crap parent I was beginning to think I was. Its just normal life with a threeanger

Well I knew it wasn't going to last forever, there are cracks in the behavior already.

DS quite cheerily announced as he danced around in a circle in the middle of the cake aisle in co-op that he loved this. what is it mum? Soreen Malt Loaf. aww yes i love it. He has never tasted it. This was debated (still while he danced in a circle much to amusement of an old couple) for a few minutes. Was only saved by a plastic golf set.

only been outside with it 5 mins and he has getting cross with it
-the ball isn't doing as its told. it keeps going in the wrong places
-its not the ball its you.look you have to hit softy if you don't want it to go far
5 mins later
sounds of an angry monster in garden and i look out and see him swinging the club like a pick axe
-DS no not like that, you will break it or hurt yourself. play how i showed you.
2 mins later now hitting the ball with the club like he was trying to bury it. Needless to say when took it away we have had a full shouting screaming tantrum.

When I was out the other night apparently we had the toys not doing as they should. He was getting into bed and he had a menkle cos the nanas (2 teddy comforters had since baby) weren't being furry and cuddly that night. NO Get them out of my bed, they aren't right, no don't want them. they were thrown over the side onto the floor, and wolfy (grey baby wolf) was allowed to be in prime soft toy position next to DSs pillow. Next morning he wasn't happy cos he couldn't find the nanas!

Oh dear it all came crashing down today.

Ds has been whingy and whiny all day today. First ti was over breakfast, I knew it was going to be a long day.

All the screaming tamtrums have turned into one but there have been lots...................I hope tomorrow is a little better.

Yes same here, a full on throwing self on floor fists and feet flailing around screaming til red in the face, had to shut the conservatory door because I was worried next door could hear everything. Hoping for a better day tomorrow too, he is off out to a Vintage vehicle thingy with DH, so hoping will be lots of bonding but no whinging and tantrums.

It didn't take long for the kaboom did it??

That sounds fab, maybe I can convince dp to take ds out too MInd you i'll be happy with a less whigy, tantrumy 3 year old.

DS is the master of procratination. Everything is "not yet" or "in a minute"
Meal times are worse, it takes him ages to get started on his meals.
Drives me up the wall and I really end up losing my temper with him.

We've had a pretty good few days, on the whole. Sadly the card clock/reward chart hasn't worked for the last two nights but he has at least stayed quiet (ish) until 5.50pm. How sad that getting that extra 20 minutes feels so great! Especially for a woman who use to think getting up before 10 a.m was hard work...

Here's another thing. Ds2 will stop strangers in the street to tell them where we're going/shoppers in the supermarket to tell them what we're buying etc. He has even become good friends with a certain well-known PR man by chatting to him every week in the cafe about what he's going to order. Now obviously it's lovely that he's outgoing but it takes so-o-o long to get anywhere! And what about stranger danger? Is that something I should be doing something about yet?

Yes please! I'm marking my place and going back to read all your posts to make me feel normal. My son just turned 3.....

Be afraid, Fairy- be very afraid.

Today's gem from DS, I caught him trying to give next door's cat a haircut. It wasn't as bad as it sounds though, the scissors were the free plastic ones from his art comic which just about cut through paper so no chance of the cat losing any fur. The cat was just sitting there purring.

OMG! Liv!!!!

Shodan don't scare fairy! think I must have scared Skintagain, as she hasn't come back. We have that chatty thing telling everyone everything, no secrets in our house.

DS loved his day with DH looking at vehicles........however he feel asleep on way home, DH carried him into the house and he slept on sofa for half an hour. I then dared to wake him and that was it the bubble burst and he was crying about this and that ...

Today has been like having a good twin and a bad twin. I have been trying to get him to stop shouting and whinging by saying I can't hear him and ignoring him, however today he spent 10 minutes shouting and screaming even louder following me around the kitchen saying "mummy, i am here, i am here, mummy, mummy..." aaarrrgggghhhh!!!

Just can't win with a 3 going on 4 year old.