DS (2.5) keeps kicking and hitting me and he thinks it's hilarious

[MrsGiroud]

My lovely 2.5yr old has turned into a real terror - he has started really lashing out at me when he doesn't get his own way. I get that he's frustrated and he's just expressing himself, and I have been really firm about hitting and kicking, but he has taken to just laughing at me when I tell him off. I just don't know what to do - any suggestions?

When you say you tell him off, what do you say? How do you react when he laughs?

I'd be interested in the answer to this too as my 19 month old hits me, gets told off, then does it again, gets told off and removed, then goes and takes it out on something he knows I care about (if we are in the garden my carefully tended roses, if we are in the house he goes and throws everything he can on the floor).

I can deal with it, just hoping it's normal.

Laughter can be an expression of tension in very young children so it doesn't necessarily mean he's actually laughing at you. I have a 19 mo DS who can be like this and I find that if I just tell him off it winds him up and he'll carry on or find other ways to misbehave. Being firm about the behaviour not being ok, but also empathetic towards his frustration seems to work better. So something along the lines of 'I can see you're really angry that you can't have X, but it's not ok to hit Mummy. Why don't we pay with Y instead.'

DS usually lashes out when he's overtired or struggling with something emotionally so dealing with the underlying problem helps as well.

I'm having similar issues here...

Dd is 2.1 and has started slapping (me especially) round the face. And it won't necessarily be when she's angry. She sometimes gets over excited about something and does it or sometimes I can't fathom out the reason....last night she does a wee on the potty and I'm on the floor next to her praising her, she stands up and points and is clearly proud of herself and then proceeds to give me an almighty wallop round the face! She has a look in her eyes of surprise but also excitement and then she just runs off quite giddy. I always tell her after she's done it that she must not hit people because it hurts them and makes them very sad and then I tend to walk away and ignore any chatter etc. she knows full well I am waiting for an apology. Sometimes it comes quickly, other times I have to ask for it. We then have cuddles. And then she goes off happy or I've even been slapped again!

It just makes no sense......

Punky I had to say I chuckled at your post, sorry!!

My son is very sweet as he loves kissing and so he knows if he has upset me and I'm cross he can swoop in with a 'mmmmmmmm' noise and give me a kiss and cuddle and I start smiling again (it's heart melting), so we get stuck in this crazy groove of having a cuddle, him smacking me round the face, me saying no and wagging my finger, him ripping the leaves off my roses, me raising my voice further and saying no, him swooping in with a 'mmmmmm' kiss, is having a cuddle.

If my partner was doing the same he'd be charged with domestic violence and emotional fuckwittery!!