Hi all,
I was after some advice/words of wisdom please! I am really pulling my hair out lately with my 5 nearly 6 year old boy.
His behaviour has become so challenging and to be honest it is constant! I feel like I have a newborn again where I just can't even wee in peace! He is very demanding he really will not play or do anything on his own. If he is left to his own devices he will just do anything he can to wind me or his dad up for attention, whether that be just randomly coming up to us and hitting us or saying a mean comment "I don't like you!" (Totally unprovoked). He definitely gets enough attention if anything he is spoilt with attention! The minute he comes home from school we are sat on the floor playing with him/interacting with him. He is an only child and the only grandparent on both sides so he is very used to being "the centre of attention" which is maybe why we have the problem we have now.
I'm just looking for advice on how I can approach this, as mentioned, if I do set some toys/games up for him and go to cook dinner he will immediately start playing up. He's getting more and more mean also, constant name calling, random hitting, even on play dates he's started "seeing red" and just suddenly going from playing nicely with that friend to telling that friend they can't play with this or do that or grabbing their arm for example just in an angry moment! I must mention, his school report is polar opposite to what we see lately, "he is angel child! Shy, friendly, works hard, focused, polite" to name a few... he is full of energy at home, always hyper! And right now I must be honest friendly and kind aren't what we are seeing at home. He does karate and beavers and we play outside on the trampoline in the garden a lot so he is getting enough exercise he doesn't really have too much screen time either. Any advice how to just get him to enjoy his own company more and especially how to just be a bit kinder and realise he doesn't have to constantly be saying mean things to us or jumping off the walls would be hugely appreciated!! Thank you x