My 4 yr old ds1 is bullying the Au pair

[syrup]

Help!!! I have found a lovely Au Pair (as I am going back to Uni and can't afford a childminder) and all seemed to be going well for the first week but now my ds1 (4) has really started pushing his luck with her and being a total brat. He is very strong willed at the best of times but is usually very loving and responds to a severe *ing and 5 mins in the "sin bin" I have told the AP to use the same techniques but she seems reluctant to lay down the law with him.
Ds1 has just started at school so I expect him to be a bit unsettled but it is not as if I have abandoned him as I don't start Uni until Jan.
To make matters worse DS2 (3) is acting like an angel so ds1 looks even worse by comparison!
Any ideas? Should I intervene and discipline him when he is rude to the AP or leave her to deal with it?
Sorry its such a long one!

a severe what??

and what is the 'sin bin?' is that like tinme out?

telling off? hasn't she been trained to deal with children or am i confused

Sorry,Bollocking and the sin bin is like time out in the porch!
I have explained how we discipline our boys
! warning of unexceptable behaviour then sin bin
when out apologise etc but it seems that he is trying his luck and pushing the boundaries as far as he can.

Could she perhaps whack him with a brick?

(God, it's been ages since I last suggested that.)

lol willow.

Marvelous, I have to say it beets my next plan of hanging him up by his toe nails and clobbering with a mallet!
I love him to bits but he can be a real pain in the ar*e!

ooops beats

Hi, just found your thread, we have had similar behaviour with new Nanny and Au pairs , DS sounds like he?s trying to find out where new Au Pair fits into the pecking order, and what her role is in comparison to you.

No matter how many times I explained to our 6 year old that AP is here to help and like a friend but they would still terrorising her first to find it if it?s really true and eventually things would calm down.

It may be worth just observing and see how Au pair would deals with it, she may find her way of dealing with it for example not like not playing football with him ? or doing his favourite activity.

My kids soon wised up to the advantage of having AP some one extra to play with an organise new things and be very manipulative.

Hi, just found your thread, we have had similar behaviour with new Nanny and Au pairs , DS sounds like he?s trying to find out where new Au Pair fits into the pecking order, and what her role is in comparison to you.

No matter how many times I explained to our 6 year old that AP is here to help and like a friend but they would still terrorising her first to find it if it?s really true and eventually things would calm down.

It may be worth just observing and see how Au pair would deals with it, she may find her way of dealing with it for example not like not playing football with him ? or doing his favourite activity.

My kids soon wised up to the advantage of having AP some one extra to play with an organise new things and be very manipulative.

sorry finger slipped

Thanks for that, i think that is exactly what is going on. Before she arrived he thought that I would go when she arrived and however much exlpaining didn't seem to sink in.
I will do as you suggest and ride it out after all everything else is perfect with her. I just hope I don't arrive home to find DS1 gaffer taped up while AP is on plane back to Romania with DS2!!!!