my 2.9 year old gets very upset if praised-why?

[whitebeachesandcoconutoil]

well that says it all really-i dunno if he is embarresed/shy but if he does something funny and you say ahh you are so funny etc he cries and gets upset at you. is this a developmental thing is it normal? when he draws or does letters and you say what a clever boy he thrives but then other times he goes into meltdown.

I think this is normal - they are just beginning to be aware of what they can do and how it feels when they do something well or otherwise. You probably have a sensitive and emotionally well developed little boy - is he noticeable sensitive to his peers emotions/needs?

My dd cried her eyes out on her third birthday because she was so overwhelmed by one of her presents.

yes he is very emotion aware -we were at a paygroup last week and he was playing and a baby started crying -he stopped what he was doing and came and told me then proceeded to find a toy to take to the mummy to make baby 'happy now' i do sometimes wonder if he is like me -a little too sensitive.

Perhaps he feels he is being judged (I know you are praising him but maybe he feels under scrutiny). Maybe you ask him instead if he is happy with what he has done, then respond to that, rather than praising him first off. Bless him. My eldest is really emotional too. Bloody exhausting isn't it - do you feel like you can't put a foot out of line?

Maybe he doesn't like being the centre of this kind of attention?

I'm sure he'll grow out of it. DS1 was like this at 3. He couldn't bear it if I said a drawing was good - it was almost like pressure on him.

He loves to blow his own trumpet now though(he's nearly 5). The other day he said to me 'Mummy I'm really clever and I can read really long words without you even telling me'

thankyou for your replies. yes i do feel sometimes that it is hard and that i am walking on eggshells but he really is lovely soo i guess i just have to be happy that he will hopefully grow out of it.