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Worried about 7 year old boy - silliness

4 replies

FlipFlap24 · 03/12/2024 12:03

Hi all. Please can anyone share experience if they recognise what I will describe. Basically our youngest child is a lovely boy at heart but he finds it very hard to not be silly...all the time! From what I understand he does not particularly do this at School and despite making good friends, he is generally a bit quiet and shy around people he knows less well. He seems very emotional a lot of the time. He is moody nearly every morning. He is very cheeky and can day "I don't need my coat " when it's 3 degrees. He comes out of School and is either really silly or entirely miserable and won't engage. We feel like we are constantly asking him to calm down and stop being silly. It is like he is incapable of just having a normal conversation with us. It is either hyper silly or sad and cross. He is very bright and School have never raised any neurodiversity issues (he does chew things a lot and is fidgety but I think he does get anxious quite easily so may be that...and he is the youngest in his year group). Like I say he makes friends easily and enjoys playing with them but he is also very clingy to me and reluctant to do anything away from me. He is my youngest so I do see some behaviours that I recognise but I am honestly feeling drained by him. Nothing I do seems to work. The nicer I am to him, the more tricky he can become. I am so worried about him. Help! Xx

OP posts:
Outd00rs · 04/12/2024 10:00

Can’t offer any advice really but I recognise this - my 8 year old is having terrible issues with anger at the moment but when he isn’t angry or irritable he is quite silly, lots of silly noises and voices and decisions, more like a three year old sometimes, it is hard to have a normal conversation with him. He also has no signs of neurodiversity, vey bright at school and well behaved, a little shy, but does have signs of anxiety I think and a lot of the anger seems to result from anxiety about something like making a decision he can’t reverse, being late, injustice, worried about nightmares etc..

I would say it might be a phase but tbh our sons behaviour has got more extreme from the start that you describe - cross and irritable has lead to angry outbursts, silly has progressed to seeming a little manic at times.. not trying to be over dramatic but that’s how it feels.. I have just signed up for a managing anger and managing anxiety workshops with him as I really feel we need a plan going forward. Nothing I do is helping. School recommended these workshops (though I was worried about him labelling himself as a result of them) even though school was surprised we felt we needed them because we are very experienced parents.. though they said it is more common due to lockdown at toddler stage.. I would say look into doing something to support behaviour and mental health ongoing before it gets worse. My others Kids were not like this so I feel clueless - workshops can’t hurt though (I hope).

TinyMouseTheatre · 04/12/2024 21:14

I know it sounds a bit left field but how does he do on this simple progress checker @FlipFlap24?

FlipFlap24 · 04/12/2024 21:50

Outd00rs · 04/12/2024 10:00

Can’t offer any advice really but I recognise this - my 8 year old is having terrible issues with anger at the moment but when he isn’t angry or irritable he is quite silly, lots of silly noises and voices and decisions, more like a three year old sometimes, it is hard to have a normal conversation with him. He also has no signs of neurodiversity, vey bright at school and well behaved, a little shy, but does have signs of anxiety I think and a lot of the anger seems to result from anxiety about something like making a decision he can’t reverse, being late, injustice, worried about nightmares etc..

I would say it might be a phase but tbh our sons behaviour has got more extreme from the start that you describe - cross and irritable has lead to angry outbursts, silly has progressed to seeming a little manic at times.. not trying to be over dramatic but that’s how it feels.. I have just signed up for a managing anger and managing anxiety workshops with him as I really feel we need a plan going forward. Nothing I do is helping. School recommended these workshops (though I was worried about him labelling himself as a result of them) even though school was surprised we felt we needed them because we are very experienced parents.. though they said it is more common due to lockdown at toddler stage.. I would say look into doing something to support behaviour and mental health ongoing before it gets worse. My others Kids were not like this so I feel clueless - workshops can’t hurt though (I hope).

Thank you. I am sorry your little man is having such a rough time. I definitely think lockdown has a lot to answer for! He was such a happy baby but has been so clingy since then. He went to nursery happily before but then cried every day after he went back. He enjoys School but he would definitely rather be home with me! @TinyMouseTheatre thanks for you message- I can't see the link to the progress checker though? X

OP posts:
TinyMouseTheatre · 04/12/2024 22:14

Sorry about that epic fail, it should be here Wink

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