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Behaviour/development

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Is this true?

79 replies

FabIsGettingThere · 24/03/2010 10:20

My therapist says the more I lose it with the kids the more they will push it as they want to see how far they can go until Mummy is okay again?

Since they have been utter nightmares this morning (all of them) and I have absolutely no control over them wtf do I do?

DS2 bit ds1 because he took his dressing gown. DS1 now haws a red bite mark on his back.

DD continued to back chat me even when I told her several times to stop.

All of them buttered in when I was telling the others off and it all started about 2 minutes after daddy left.

I felt a sneaking admiration for them daring to be so bloody cheeky as I would get smacked if I so much as answered back in a very minor way but now it has got out of control.

Angels at school...

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
2old4thislark · 24/03/2010 14:54

As messymiss said, I think the important part is believing in yourself and that YOU are in charge.

I think there is no doubt that children want and need clear boundaries and consequences when they rebel against them.

A huge eye opener for me happened at my first ante natal apt. There was a mum with four children in tow that were running riot in the waiting room. All of us first time mums were thinking 'shit, what have I let myself in for!' Anyway when the mums apt came up she went in on her own! Leaving the kids in the waiting room! Funny thing was, the moment she left the room they played quietly, when she came back, it all kicked off again. I think they were looking for boundaries and seeing how far they had to go before she would react.

If you haven't done this already, sit the kids down and say it's time for change. Write a list of rules (short list, no violence and listen to mum!). Work out a reward system (marbles/plastic balls in a jar) everytime they behave. Maybe, break the time into half hour sessions. So half hour and no fighting gets a marble. And X many gets a treat. Obviously remove one when they fight.

But you have to be rigid and stick to it and DON'T shout, don't argue with them.

Once they know you mean business it will get better. Last week I got fed up with my son leaving stuff on his bedroom floor as there are hooks and boxes for everything. I told him that next time I found anything on the floor it would go in the bin! Job done! He's 17 and 6 foot 3 and still listens to me! Well, most of the time!

tapas · 24/03/2010 15:15

"DS2 bit ds1 because he took his dressing gown. DS1 now haws a red bite mark on his back.

I felt a sneaking admiration for them daring to be so bloody cheeky as I would get smacked if I so much as answered back in a very minor way but now it has got out of control.

Angels at school..."

FabisGettingthere..Just read what you've written...mixed messages?!

I have met many parents who let their dc get away with blue murder. Fake complaining whilst throwing them admiring looks for being so 'daring'.

TheLadyEvenstar · 24/03/2010 15:35

Silverfrog DS1 has ODD and also acts like this, I have taken to ignoring as much as is humanly possible BUT DS2 age 2 gives him the reaction he wants....

TheLadyEvenstar · 24/03/2010 15:46

But sometimes tapas you have to admire them to help yourself through the day...otherwise it is all gloom and stress.

MumGoneCrazy · 24/03/2010 15:50

Hell if i didn't laugh at somethings i'd be in the loony bin by now

TheLadyEvenstar · 24/03/2010 15:54

MGC I would be sitting next to you lol....

FabIsGettingThere · 24/03/2010 16:04

tapas - I am sorry but you have got it wrong as well. Obviously I don't let on to them that I am pleased they don't live in fear the way I did and can cheek me etc etc.

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FabIsGettingThere · 24/03/2010 17:12

justallovertheplace - you don't know me at all or understand if you say I am choosing to dwell on things. No have absolutely no idea what I am doing to try and get well and be normal.

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Rubyrubyruby · 24/03/2010 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FabIsGettingThere · 24/03/2010 17:19

you were making assumptions about what I wanted to hear.

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JeremyVile · 24/03/2010 17:49

You know that everyone else is feeling their way too dont you?

I wonder if you feel that due to your history you are missing some fundamental skills/knowledge about how to parent? And if that then renders you unable to be decisive in dealing with problem behaviours incase you get it 'wrong'?

Sorry if this is off the mark, but I thnk to some extent we all feel like that. Many of us have been brought up in a way we dont wish to replicate with our own children, many may have had great childhoods but still feel completely adrift when it comes to being a parent themselves.

A few people are lucky to ahve a real skill for parenting but dont assume that is the norm, most of us are plodding blindly on - we HAVE to figure out a way that works and its bloody hard and scary.

I just wonder if when it gets hard you think sod it, how can I possibly know how to do this? Again, really sorry if I'm wrong but you need to know that you are no more and no less equipped to be a parent than the rest of us.

As far as your actual question - I think you cant ignore the type of behaviour you describe but the key is responding to it in a way that is non-emotional way. Which is bloody hard and we all struggle with it, I'm sure.

Rubyrubyruby · 24/03/2010 17:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FabIsGettingThere · 24/03/2010 18:58

I felt you didn't understand at all, ruby, as you were telling me my kids needed boundaries and no wonder they weren't behaving great if they knew I didn't want to spend time with them. I know they need boundaries I just don't know what and how to do this and of course they don't know that sometimes I want to be away from them.

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2old4thislark · 24/03/2010 19:38

I gave you some suggestions - are you going to try them or have you already tried this approach?

Rubyrubyruby · 24/03/2010 19:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FabIsGettingThere · 25/03/2010 08:26

Which is why I am so crap at this. If I explained myself I would be here all day - too many difficult issues - so I will say thank you to all of you for taking the time to post and I will keep trying.

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pagwatch · 25/03/2010 12:58

Fab
I am a fan of yours- I hope you know that.

But I think at some stage you have got to make a couple of decisions.
You have to stop endlessly blaming yourself and being negative.
I know that it is honest of you but tbh it becomes self defeating.
I have read so many of your threads and you say ...'I am so crap, I can't do this...etc etc' on almost every thread.
It becomes a means by which you unintentionally set yourself up to fail.

I have very very poor organisational skills and i used to miss things a lot, things to do with the children. Every time DD missed a dress up day or a party because I forgot to put it on the calendar I would be truly angry with myself and say 'I am sorry DD, I am just so useless'.
Eventually I relised I was using 'I am so crap at organizing thing' with parents at school, with the DCs and I realised one day that actually , rather than being honest, I was just letting myself off the hook.

The truth is that growing up in a chaotic home, having DS2 with the huge responsibilities and time constraints that that creates etc are the reasons why I find it hard. But there is really no reason why I can't improve it.
I have gradually. And I have stopped using 'I'm so crap' as an excuse.

Of course you have special circumstances but many of us do. And I think tbh just saying 'its too hard, I am crap' creates a mindset that traps us. We can shrug our shoulders and start each day saying to ourselves that we will try our best but saying also that actually we will probably fail because we are really rubbish at this and we are too busy and our children are going to play up and make it hard.
When we do that we make it fail before we even start.

Also , when you criticise yourself, when you take everything that people say as an unfair criticism of you , it stops you hearing the genuine and good advice and support they are trying to offer.
I know you get people who say harsh things but in truth I think they are fairly easy to ignore. I think this thread is an example of that. You got some good advice but became entangled in arguing with those you felt were attacking you.

Have you thought about the advice you got on here - the suggestions that you try to disengage when you are feeling provoked,pretending to be the nanny (great idea) and also trying to accept their behaviour as testing you rather than just being mean. And also Jeremys interesting point about your assuming everyone else got the parenting manual ?
Did any of that feel helpful?How are things today?

FabIsGettingThere · 25/03/2010 13:27

Hi Pag

Yesterday was hard but DH had told me to send the kids to their rooms once we were home and after tea they could stay down and play if they have behaved. This worked out well. They had some peace from each other and I had peace to make their tea. DS2 came down twice and I handled that badly as he wanted to give me a cuddle and I told him to stay in his room. When he came back a couple of minutes later I gave him a big cuddle and then sent him back up. He did sneak down again but I never knew until I called them for tea!

After tea DD and DS2 were sent upstairs for something and when ds1 played me up I stayed calm but firm. DS2 put himself to bed before 7 and the other two were only allowed to read for 10 minutes.

This morning they were all playing together really nicely and when we got to school I told them how nicely they had played and how happy mummy was with that.

I came back from school and have spent all morning making nice treats for them and doing loads of jobs.

Normally I lose it quite quickly as I just feel so defeated and here we go again and then I shout, etc. What I will try to do is remember how much better last night was and that this morning is the first one in absolutely ages that they haven't played me up as soon as daddy goes and I haven't left them at school with me feeling upset and angry.

I have been through so much worse than kids who fight and I need to just take it an hour at a time tbh.

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pagwatch · 25/03/2010 13:35

"and I need to just take it an hour at a time tbh."

yes very wise indeed!

And its like dieting. You WILL shout. They WILL play up. But you have to just say 'ok, well that went wrong but never mind, lets get back on track'. You can't think 'oh I knew it wouldn't last. I give up'.

One day at a time. You are doing well. And don't forget to tell them how happy it made you and how proud you are of them for being good and helping.

You are doing fine

( and i remembered DDs costume for assembly today so well done me )

FabIsGettingThere · 25/03/2010 13:47

Well done you .

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pagwatch · 25/03/2010 13:48
Grin
mixedraceparents · 26/03/2010 12:21

ooo Fab I soooo know where you are coming from. Here is a leetle example

6.30 wake ds1 and ds2 have a nice little chat and a laugh ask them to get up
6.40 go in again and ask them to get up
6.50 explain they need a bath and start to run bath.
7.00 ds2 goes to get in the bath. Ask ds1 politely to get ready for his bath as we dont want to be late. Ds 2 has bath and gets out gets dressed and has his breakfast.
7.10 - all this time I am also getting son number 3 and 4 ready washing dressing feeding etc. Ask son to get into bath firmly he pretends to get up and I assume he is in the bath. Ds1 sneaks back into bed when I'm not looking.
7.20 Get really quite annoyed and insist he gets up. After 5-10 mins of vigorous discussion he finally gets up.

7.30 I explain its now too late for a bath as we need to get ready for school. Cue 20 mins of screaming But I wanted a bathhhhhh! and crying. During this time he is not putting on his uniform that i have put next to him. I suggest a quick clean with baby wipes but no he is far too busy wailing. At this point I am totally fed up. I shout then I feel terrible. Ds1 finally gets dressed and eats his breakfast. As I go to brush my teeth the screaming starts Ds1 has hit Ds2

We did get to school on time but does life really need to be this hard? The other kids are in general well behaved but Ds1 will not do what he's told until he's totally wound me up. I would expect at the age of seven that he could get up and get dressed by himself without help (which of course he can). He chooses not to however and this type of thing happens 2-3 mornings a week.
Any suggestions?

FabIsGettingThere · 27/03/2010 07:54

Bath in the evening?

My ds1 is having trouble cleaning himself after using the loo so should bath every day but he really doesn't want too. I should never have said he was smelly as now ds2 has said it.

I have stayed calm but fair and it really helps when I don't shout. Shouting is only any good for real emergencies or really bad behaviour when nothing else works but it isn't my first option now. I am also growing in confidence which is the biggest help.

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mixedraceparents · 27/03/2010 07:59

I was calm for over an hour lol. Ds1 gets a little twinkle in his eye as if to say "yayy I wound mum up again" which does of course make me more determined not to let him wind me up.

I'm glad you are getting more confident :D

It turns out ds1 was also ill yesterday he'd been off the day before and was very emo, last night he was coughing and choking in his sleep, so I think partly he didn't want to get up cos he was ill, and he got really upset cos he was ill too.

Anyway today is a nother day

I've enjoyed reading all of your threads fab I lurk on the relationship thread too

FabIsGettingThere · 27/03/2010 08:02
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