Has anybody manage to stop their dc being the class clown without crushing their personality????

[MilaMae]

Just had ds's 4 nearly 5's pre-school report. He apparantly likes to be the class clown which is affecting his concentration at times. He has a twin brother and a sister very nearly the same age,he is the clown of the family and likes to make us all laugh.

As nice as this is it clearly needs to be nipped in the bud before he starts school. Don't want to crush his personality though. I'm an ex-teacher myself so really see where his teacher is coming from.

I don't think you're going to crush his personality by explaining to him that there are different rules at school and at home and that when they are in the classroom the children really need to listen to the teacher.

Presumably he already knows there is a difference between public and private behaviour- that he needs to behave differently in the doctor's waiting room, say, from when he is playing in the garden, and that he can't speak to a total stranger in the same way that he speaks to you. If not, just keep explaining gently.

Just don't expect an immediate transformation. And don't worry about his personality- he knows the clown side of him is still appreciated at home.

But we all have to change our behaviour when we go outside the home; it's part of what he needs to learn to grow up. It's not a negative thing; it's a way of discovering more sides to our personalities.