Problems started with my 6 year old DS at bedtime about 3 weeks ago, now we feel like we're walking on eggshells every night unsure if he's going to kick off or not. Our bedtime routine consists of going upstairs about 7pm, getting ready etc, then we read for about 20/30mins before saying right, time to go to sleep. He'll then start kicking off, having been absolutely fine until that point, by suddenly hrowing all his bedding on the floor, then kicking his legs and whacking himself back down on the mattress. He'll also kick the top bunk mattress to annoy his brother and start banging his fists on the wall. Sometimes he'll start saying things he knows he shouldn't say..."I'm stupid/you're stupid....you're an idiot/I'm an idiot". These are not words we use at home, he knows they're unkind and is not how we speak to each other. He still needs DH or I to lay with him to go to sleep, he struggles being on his own and often wakes up in the night. If his behaviour doesn't stop we end up going out of the room, if it carries on then we take his older brother out too. At this point the screaming starts. We feel like we've tried all tactics....taking things away (he laughs/says I don't care), trying to ask what he is feeling/why he is making those behaviour choices (his answer is always a flippant "I don't know", even during the day), saying he's lost a privilege, etc. Even if he calms down enough for myself or DH to go back in with him, he writhes about on the bed, making noises and not listening to anything that is said to him. It escalated so badly the other week he was shouting that he was going to kill us all! I got in touch with his teacher/school FLO to check that there was nothing going on in school, which they confirmed wasn't. FLO did speak to him but he doesn't talk about his feelings and responses are often a very quick "I don't know" because his mind is somewhere else and he doesn't take anything on board/doesn't want to talk. He cannot handle any sort of boredom and struggles to self-entertain. He does well in school and has friends, but sometimes I feel like there is a wall up and I just can't get through to him.
He has become more confrontational during the day, and as my eldest wasn't like this at this age, I'm a bit stumped as to what is 'normal' 6 year old behaviour and whether there is something else to be concerned about. I know all kids are different and it could be that he's just a bit of a live wire, and I don't want to be too quick put labels on anything. I'm just so fed up and at my wits end with it I don't know what my next step should be. I've even thought about diabetes as a Google search returned behavioural changes as a symptom (he also seems to drink so much water he cannot quench his thirst, and is constantly hungry even after a meal). It could be something so simple that he's overtired, but it takes ages getting him to sleep every night I don't know what else we can do to get him to sleep more as he takes forever to nod off.
Thank you if you've read this far. I think I will contact our Dr, even if just to rule things out. I guess it's a bit of a vent, but if anyone has been through similar with their child, please let me know how you approached it, what worked, whether there was an underlying reason, etc.