Feeling really low this evening about my DC3 behaviour and hoping someone can offer some guidance.
As far as I know they are intelligent with good speech and communication (compared with friends the same age) however we just cannot get through to them. They have a sibling who is 15 months old which could explain some of this (sibling is very clingy and demands a lot of my attention)
Challenges are
Listening - if we say it's time for bath, to get dressed, to go to bed etc they shout no, are deliberately awkward if trying to undress them, kick and cry if you carry them. If we have to leave somewhere we can have huge tantrums.
Whinging a lot of the time instead of using words to ask for what they want - for example will just come over and put their arms up and whine if they want picking up or whining if you say no.
Every day is becoming a battle, I'm having to be quite firm almost to the point of shouting to be heard.
We have been trying a sticker chart but it's not working and has now been a week since the last sticker even though we've set small goals (if you get dressed and brush teeth without a fight for example).
I also try lots of 1 on 1 time with them, plus a club with just me and them at the weekend but maybe it's not enough.
What I want to know is,
Is this normal 3 year old behaviour or is this on the extreme side?
Does anyone have any methods to get through to them so every day is less of a battle.
DH said earlier that he's starting to not like being around DC which is really sad.