everything 'not fair' for my 5yo DS.. driving me mad!

[MSoul]

My usually lovely boy is taking to claiming everything is not fair and going into strops at the drop of a hat. It sounds so minor when I write it down but it's exhausting after a full day of it. No matter what I do, nothing is good enough. Today I got him a pink lemonade ice cream float and he stropped because his cousin got a flake with her hit chocolate!

We had our DD in April and wondering if this is related.

Any tips or similar experience gratefully received!

Need to be the grown up but I run out of patience

This kind of thing is one of the few times I actually use something out of a book - out of How to Talk.

Oh yes, I wish I had a Flake as well. And a huge bar of chocolate, and some jelly beans, that would be nice wouldn't it. We could eat chocolate and crisps all days and never do any tioying up...etc etc. Acknowledge what they are saying but don't get dragged into an argument. If you can bear to try it, it does tend to work.

I use similar when they are moaning about walking home from school - oh yes, it would be better if we could FLY home on a magic carpet wouldn't it. Have you got a magic carpet? No? Oh dear neither have I. Maybe we should swim home instead... etc.

But when you are knackered you just want to say - you got pop with icecream in it, stop moaning and be grateful They wear you down, I know.

That is pure genius. I will try it tomorrow! Thanks. I get dragged into the argument more and more which is what he wants I'm sure! I'm so sleep deprived now as DD wakes 4-5 times a night since April so after the 100th moan of the day I get sterner and sterner and don't like beinglike that. Plus school holidays can be intense can't they. Thanks a million for the idea.