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.

This morning my DS is running around the house, stark naked yelling 'you not catch me!!' with utter glee in his voice. Child I'm 37 +4 weeks pregnant and very sore, you're right I can't catch you. I'm not even trying! Now come eat you breakfast and get dressed, or you'll be very cold and hungry at playgroup today.

To be fair he's been pretty good recently, but he's at that pre baby arriving stage where he knows something life changing is up, but isn't quite sure what. I'm not looking forward to his behaviour once baby arrives in the next couple of weeks!

Hey Confessions!!

DS made me giggled. I noticed that DHhad left his glass of squash in the bedroom the other morning and commented on it to ds as I took it downstairs.

When DH got home that evening, DS greeted him "you left your glass upstairs! You MUST bring it downstairs!"

Managed to cut DS's talons toe nails last night but ended up being a pin down job Reward chart for teeth brushing seems to be working though.

urgh we have sort-of got the outrageous behaviour under some semblance of control with the counting, but now we have the bedtime rebel back again. He just will NOT go down - 9.15pm for the past 2 nights. He's unpacked books, wants to play, walks out the room and yells over the bannisters, screams blue murder if we don't appear... and of course you can't exactly time out when TO is in effect confining to bedroom for 3-4 mins...

And we're up at 6am! How on earth am I supposed to get him to go to flipping sleep?

augh. And we're going up to my folks this w/e (without DH) so this is not going to be fun...

This morning DS was on our bed and came out with 'Shut up, hold your horses, I got news!'

I'm fairly sure neither DH or I ever tell him to shut up, so not sure where he's getting that from, but he know's it's wrong, so has been using it A LOT recently. Hold your horses was new though. . His news was something indeciferable about being hot and trains (I think).

Mind you he also has a habit of going 'no no no' when DH and I are trying to talk. Since when has my blonde haired, blue eyed boy been channeling a stereo type black American woman!

still he's so lovely for cuddling....

. How you getting on this week?

Ergghh same as ever, fat and fed up!

DS managed to stay in his own bed for 4 nights running, until last night he woke up a couple of times. I cuddled him for a while and then went to get in my bed and he insisted on coming with me. Ended up heading back to sleep in his bed, as I end up in the middle as DH hates DS sleeping next to him because he kicks, and I can't turn over easily!

I have been lurking but resisting this thread since you guys started but have lurked and Kara got me sucked in

Confessions, we get 'shut up' 'move!' or rather 'moo-HOO-ve' and 'go aw-WAY' all the bloody time. Strangely and rather comically none of these delightful expressions as used in their literal meaning, but are rather a means to express frustration ie 'shut up' shouted at toy car that just crashed into the wall rather than going straight .

DS3 is 3.2 btw.
On the upside the kicking and hitting is getting better, whenever we approach anywhere with children present (nursery, playground, softplay, birthday party) he'll look up to me and say 'no hitting childrens' - so at least he has got the message. In theory...

And he does sleep in his own bed

Ah hello. I have come over to join in!

DS2 was 3 in March. I thought 18m was bad when he was the nursery's serial biter. But this is a whole new realm.

If I hear one more whine. One more fake cry, one more "he hurt me/punched me/bit me/pushed me" I think I am going to hide.

Tonight my diet has gone. I am tonight sponsored by treacle tart and walkers crisps.

After two days of 9-hour sleeps and no naps, I decided yesterday that it would be the park on the way home to try and tire out the monster. Half an hour of mad running about/climbing until 'I'm tired Mummy'. Went home. Then wants to go see next door neighbours and play with their huge box of duplo, then wants to bounce on their trampoline. OK, more tiring out. Food, ate tons, no whining. Was by now beginning to get optimistic. Then it all fell over again after bathtime.

Not asleep until 9pm again!!!!!

I have a 3-hour M1 trip tonight. Oh, joy. Hope he goes to sleep nice and early on in the journey... or I'll be sobbing.

aaaahhh back from sunny St Ives! Glad to see everyone is still here. Made me smile to read everyones recent posts.

Had a lovely lovely holiday, DS has been good most of the time though has been challenging quite a bit, glad DH was there to witness it as sometimes I think its just me he does it for. Can't even remember the details, suffice to say was usual menkleness of the age group. Also a certain amount of sheer naughtiness and tantrums, I feel awful sometimes because just dealing with him takes up a lot of time and feel guilty that not talking or paying attention to DD suppose thats answered my own question really, its why they do it.

The threat for bad behavior at the moment is whether we go to Diggerland next week for his birthday. Seems to be having some effect.

Meal times were not great - we did have a pickly sausage incident again , and also not eating that orange soup (homemade tomato) but your thai spiced crispy squid looks lovely mummy, think I will eat some too......... (proceeds to scoff a load) sheer awkward-ness for sake of it. Oh and was bouncing around like Tigger on acid when we gave him some locally made fudge. DH said "What did you give him that for...?" Like I was to know....

How was the trip Moonbells?

We have the shouting , MOVE, GO AWAY, YOU SMELL ...... etc etc

Roll on September ..........

MrsJH it was ok, we had a great weekend. He dropped off as we rounded the bend from the M25 to the M1, slept happily until we got to Leicester Forest services and was (along with me) mightly pissed off to discover they had a power cut and weren't letting anyone in - even those with desp for a poo toddlers! Was not impressed. Donington was much nicer and we had tea there. Then the rest of the journey was quite good.

Getting him to sleep was the usual battle though!

He passed out to the land of nod after bath tonight while curled up in the towel. Doesn't happen very much and I am still worried he'll wake up at 10 and refuse to go to sleep again!

getting him to sleep again*

Moonbells, Can't believe the services! Thats really very very unhelpful. But glad you had a great weekend. Sorry to hear the sleep is still a battle though, it must be really tiring for you both. I have no experience of it but know of several other people who have similar battles.

DS not been well this afternoon he seems to have picked up the bug DD had a few days ago (a 24hr tummy bug) and has been sick this afternoon. All he kept saying every 15 mins "I am still sick Mum, the bug hasn't gone yet" "will it go before my birthday?" Bless.

My daughter was the model two year old, and then developed tantrums at three, and still, at three and a half, stamps her foot and shouts about things that seem totally trivial. Dressing to go out, always an issue, so now I just put three outfits out for her to choose from and give her a count down (you know the sort you use to get your kids to leave the playground).

This may seem a bit out there, but I have found from trial and error that her behaviour goes a bit awry when she is hungry or tired but doesn't know it. So I find having snacks always on hand (healthy ones or it is counterproductive!) and making sure she eats every couple of hours instead of only at mealtimes is a big help. Three year olds are growing and developing in ways we can't always see.
Also, if she hits, I figure the worst thing I can do is get angry and stern or hit back so I actually put my hand out for her to slap - then I slap her hand back (gently!) and back and forth we go until she gets the giggles. I know how ridiculous this must sound but it seems to "defuse" better than anything. Maybe it has a cathartic effect. Anyway it means she can laugh about being angry without BEING laughed at, if that makes sense. She always knows I am trying to understand her even when she is being unreasonable.

DS thinks it's hilarious that I baked Chelsea Bums today. Turns out selective deafness happens at 3 as well as 60!

Wept with joy last night that it's not only me going through it and am just marking my place since I can't see how to watch a thread without adding to it.

I'll be back later to read through some of what I guess will be right gems and then see if my little angel can top them

Hello everyone.
I haven't disappeared because DS has turned into an angel, just been rather busy - dd was born last Monday!

DS is utterly besotted with her, but we have had a few meltdowns, worst one last night - ran his bath he refused to get in so had to strip him off and then put him the bath, he ended up slapping me very hard on the arm and on the boob (which are very tender as my milk came in the day before ). Ended up with DH pinning him down with him screaming his head off. DH kept shutting him in his room and DS kept kicking the door, still screaming. DH kept trying to calm him down, DS kept hitting him in the end DH pinned him down again and smacked his bottom. He had tried everything with him and that was the only thing that stopped him in his tracks. DH didn't smack him hard though just enough to get his attention. He stopped screaming and just started crying for me instead and DH kept telling him that he needs to say sorry to me.
He wouldn't at first eventually he did.
Both DH and me were a bit about smacking him but he was so out of control and nothing was getting through to him. Once he said sorry it was hugs and kisses all around and when DS woke up in the night we let him get into bed with us for extra cuddles and today he has been fine.

We have had a long talk to him and told him we cannot have him behaving so badly. And he has been a little angel today.

Oh dear lord my DS (3 next month) is just the same. If having a major tantrum i have been known to shut myself in the kitchen behind the baby gate, to which DS scream 'let me out mummy' over and over [hmmm]. I'm sure the neighbours think i have him locked in the cupboard!

Congratulations on the birth of DD Kara

Thanks Liv!

Ds is still playing up at times, and still getting in our bed, so getting woken up by DS and DD!!!

Dreading next week, DH goes back to work on Monday and my mum will be heading back home :(
This week have been able to go back to bed after DD wakes up around 6ish for a feed, until she wakes again at around 8-8.30ish, but next week will have to get up after the first feed of the morning to get DS sorted. Luckily we have a PC in our bedroom with a TV tuner, so plan will be to bring DS into our bedroom and let him have his breakfast and get dressed there, so that we will be ready to go to preschool when she wakes up again.

Yes Kara DS also has his breakfast in front of the TV, but in the front room, I don't let him eat upstairs as know I'd probably wake up with Cheerios stuck to the side of my face. Luckily he isn't an early riser I usually have to wake him at half 7 so I can get him to preschool. I BF DD one side while DS eats breakfast (he is a very slow eater) and then the other side when we get home again. Having 2 isn't as hard as I imagined but then I did imagine the worst

So glad I found this thread again - I really need some advice.

DS (3.6) occasionally randomly, for no reason that we can tell, out of the blue winds up and hits or punches DH. He never does it with me. On Saturday, he and DH were working a puzzle on the couch, and DS out of the blue went up to him and hit him in the crotch! :( Of course poor DH was in agony. I tok DS to his bedroom, and gave him the ultimate punishment - a time-out with the door shut and me standing outside it counting to ten which DS hates - he gets completely hysterical when we shut the door but it's the only thing that really gets it through to him that he's done a bad thing :(

I tried to ask him why he hit daddy and he said he didn't know. I told him he was having a time-out in his room (door open) until he was ready to apologize. Of course he immediately started screaming "I'm ready, I'm ready" (anything to get out of a time-out) at which point I had to backtrack because poor DH - and I don't blame him - was still trying to get his breath back and said he wasn't ready for DS to apologize, or even really interested in an apology yet.

Eventually DH recovered a bit but - and I don't entirely agree with this - he was pretty chilly with DS for the rest of the day. I totally get why - I don't have balls but I can imagine how it would feel to be hit down there - but I don't think DS "gets" it yet that's it's not all ok after an apology.

Do other three-year-olds do this???? And why only with DH, and not with me? Or, thank God, other kids. They adore each other and have lots of fun but as I said, sometimes DS just hits DH hard enough to hurt. :( :( :(

Am I the only one left with a threenager?

:o

Ba da bump!