Hi, can anyone help please!?
Ds1 is nearly 3 and ds2 is nearly 1. Ds1 has a nasty habit of pushing ds2 over, or lying on top of him, squashing him, making ds2 cry. It's not just horseplay, it's really vicious. I'm sure ds1 does it to get my attention and he chooses difficult times to do it, like when I'm getting meals ready, getting their coats on to go out, or when we arrive at someone's house and I'm trying to say hello. I absolutely hate it. I don't hit my children and I hate it that ds1 is so violent towards his little brother and I must admit it makes me really angry. Ds1 is usually quite a shy boy and he dislikes large groups of people and noise and can be really clingy. He's only really rough with his brother.
As I know it's attention seeking behaviour I know I should ignore ds1 and pay lots of attention to ds2, but how do I do this at the same time as telling ds1 that his behaviour is unacceptable? Does anyone have any ideas? We're trying to rewards ds1's good behaviour with a marble in a jar, and it seems to be working quite well. Would it be a good thing to take marbles away when he's violent?
Thanks
viv x