I probably shouldn't even be starting this thread at this time of night, because I'm not sure I've got the energy to know where to start.
In a nutshell, DS1 is 4.5 and bright, articulate, funny, clever blah blah blah.
He's also an absolute menace that I'm really struggling with, his behaviour is outrageous.
I have a note from his teacher (school nursery) that he 'kicked another child in the ear'. That childs mother was there and said simply 'we don't do that' and he was taken inside by his teacher for 'a chat'. He then hit, scratched her and screamed in her face.
I'm not quite sure how they managed to calm him down...he attends a private nursery as well as the school and he was collected by his nursery worker.
I phoned at lunchtime to see how he was (suspected he might not be an angel as had bad weekend) and talked to his key worker. I asked her to try to keep him out of any more trouble this afternoon, and whilst he was a little stroppy, they did manage it.
He was bright, happy and chirpy when I picked him up, happily ate dinner, watched telly, played nicely with brother and daddy and had lovely cuddles with me at bedtime.
What am I supposed to do? These mega-meltdowns are happening more and more often and seem to be getting increasingly violent. One parent of a child in his class has complained about him to both nursery and school and they have to be kept apart now.
I've just got the end of a ridiculously long toilet training road....and now I've gone crashing into this.
If anyone talks to him 'in the wrong way', he will over-react, he's very sensitive about the tiniest of things. He screams, throws things, punches, kicks, bites, scratches, spits....
Where did my little boy go? I'm in tears writing this as I genuinely don't know what to do with him. I'm embarassed and feel like I'm failing him - and the people that look after him whilst I'm working.
I don't want him to be a bully, or the kid that no-one likes. How can I help him? Is it even possible to help?
We've tried sticker charts and they had been working really well...until today. I just don't know what to do.
Nursery did an assessment and have said that they believe that he isn't in control when he has these meltdowns, and that it isn't his fault. They have given me loads of forms to fill in about his behaviour that I don't even understand. They have said that if we don't sort this behaviour out now, then its going to cause lots of problems when he starts school in September.
I went to the GP, and the response there was pretty much 'kids have tantrums, deal with it'.
I've searched threads on MN, and whilst I have found lots that talk about testosterone surges at about this age, I can't find anything outside of MN to support this. I also haven't found anything that really helps on those threads as DS' behaviour is so much more extreme than what I've read about.