What is your 4-year-olds MOST annoying behaviour?

[imaginaryfriend]

I'm just asking because dd is approaching 4 and up until 3.5 or so was a real dream of a girl with very little in the way of, ahem, 'challenging' behaviour.

Now we have unreasonable tempers, rages, control freak behaviour and perhaps the most annoying for me, being ignored.

... and ... when will it end and peace be restored to our home ...

Oh yes I have a 4 year old dd with lots of annoying habits....

Pulling me to what she wants and practically ripping my fingers out of their sockets.

Insisting on walking in front of me going down the stairs or from room to room and taking ages to move.

Standing on things and breaking them.

Putting things on the floor usually right in a doorway.

Using any kind of utensil to spoon up a drink from a cup or using a straw to suck up yoghurt.

I could think of more no doubt...

yes he pulls my face to look at something it really hurts. and won't let me talk on the phone!

he does nearly all the things everyone's mentioned they're so alike

And do yours give you a deaf ear all the time?

How much did I need this thread? Thankyou! 4 year olds are so bloody exasperating. Ds2 is 4 and a half and I think he's the most challenging he's ever been: daily tantrums, whingeing, endless "why?"ing, an uninterrupted flow of questions, irritating his big brother, unreasonable demands, "I not like you!", and he crab walks too.

Thank you for reminding me that many, many other 4 year olds are like this and I do not have the Demon Child from Hell.

(When he's lovely he's really lovely though. Which is good. 'Cos I think I'd kill him otherwise).

Oh yes, when they're good they're amazing at this age. I sometimes think everything's polarised into two extremes. Dd's more affectionate, creative, funny and interesting than before. And she's also more aggressive, destructive, moody and trying than ever before.

I must admit though that I'm finding it hard to imagine that this will go on until she's 5 ... No wonder full time school sets in sometime after 4!

The other thing I meant to mention was 'competitiveness.' Dd's not got into that yet apart from playing 'first one to touch ...' games with me which she HAS to win. But I was listening to two of her slightly older mates outside school trying to out-do each other on everything: 'I've had 2 holidays this year' 'I've had 4 holidays' 'I've had 7 holidays' and then a hilarious debate about who was the most beautiful. And who was the biggest even though one of them was so clearly obviously a head taller than the other one, the smaller one wouldn't let it go!

Tell me, can I hope to avoid that aspect or is it also a definite one???

Can I change my answer?
My 4yr olds most annoying habit is pulling the cushions off the couch one thousand times a day!!
Not just the loose cushions but the actual couch seats and backs. All the time. Sometimes i leave them on the floor but it is SOOOO hard.

Whingeing

This horrible frustrated snorting noise he makes when I tell him to stop whingeing

Hanging off me/the pushchair when whingeing

Rolling about on the floor flailing his feet about when whingeing

I feel better now

Yes gs, I am trying to beat the whinging over the summer, ie "just talk to me, USE WORDS" before ds starts school in sept because I am worried they won't keep him in school when they hear him...... I know I wouldn't if I was his teacher.

"I'm tired" and making dramatic lolling sort of face in sympathy bid
Clutching at my neckline/sleeve when feeling bashful, revealing bits of my body I'd rather not flash at the busstop
Telling me elaborate stories about the day's events which I later realise are 100 per cent invented

K DS is 3 and he does so many of the things on here - heaven help me!!!!

Why questions constantly - my answer - why do you think? stops the stream fairly quickly as he will always get the answer right.

Also

DS Where are we going?
me home
DS Don't want to go home
me ok we'll go to the park
DS wails I want to go home

About just about anything and any situation

Throwing a paddy if he doesn't get his own way - worse than he used to when he was 2!!

Well hopefully if he has started doing this early it will finish early. (pls don't tell me if it won't I'd like to live in ingnorant bliss about it if only for the rest of this week )