My children have turned feral

[screamer1]

They're 3 and 5. They keep attacking one another and loving it. Think it's the funniest thing to just keep wrestling. I'm having to literally prize them off each other all day.

What can I do? Send help!

Who cares? Those negligent thing rules were not made for Lockdown. Anything goes now.

Besides, they are home, who are they going to tell?

Yesterday, my DDs were making 'potions' in the garden. At 8&7, I left them to it...
Unknown to me, younger DD snuck one of these potions into her bedroom. They then decided it was too smelly... So poured it out of the window. Luckily no one on the path outside ..

That is the feral behaviour I'm putting up with. Homeschooling isn't going well for the younger DD. Swap you for the wrestling?

Can we put this on classics. I am laughing like a drain

Our current rules are mostly based on not going to A&E. Other stuff is fair game.

I honestly think it's probably easier to be in lockdown with 4 than one. Hats off to parents of one!

I never ever interfere in arguments unless someone is hurting someone (and the other one is protesting) or someone is being deliberately mean. How does it matter if they are wrestling? Leave them to it.
My MIL who brought up 3 boys with a small age gap told me her rule was ‘don’t come to me unless there is blood.’ I think she was pretty sensible.

@ChaBishkoot don’t come to me unless there is blood. Stealing this now!

My two boys are 8 and 4. Very physical, noisy and now also feral. In pants or naked a lot of the time, even on the trampoline outside (we live in the middle of nowhere which is handy for naked bouncing, the kids I mean not me..) and they are often wrestling/playing army/sone other fighty game etc. They are good, sweet kids, but they definitely play rough and it's totally normal. Boys are simply different species to girls and play totally differently. My two are either best mates or fighting, not much in between 🤣 They are doing their school work that's been set but after that are watching TV and on minecraft waaaay more than normal... I'm having to leave them to it to try to find work (myself and hubby both been laid off with no pay out, both stressed out)... so we are doing whatever works for us to get us through.
Your situation sounds very normal to me if it's any consolation... xx

You are not the only one. 2 boys, 2 girls in this house. The boys have periods where they are all rough and tumble, ignoring my mantra of 'it will end in tears'. If anyone starts getting hurt, that is when I stop it. Otherwise they are just enjoying and entertaining themselves.

If you can, take them for a very, very long walk - a colour or picture scavenger hunt might help pass the time. Mine are a lot less exhausting after we've been on a 6 mile bike ride :-D

You need 2 of these..

What can I do? Send help!

Drink gin. Online delivery is available.

I only say this half jokingly.

We have to 'walk the dog' daily or he goes feral.

A school zoom call today has turned him feral. (Home school hasnt been an option today as I know he won't concentrate anyway).

What's a legitimate amount of time to let them watch tv? Can I put them in cages? Why has this happened?

There is no upper limit in lockdown. Trust me. DS normally is time limited. Anything to keep calm for a while and give you time to chill is fine. Or your head will explode.

Not tried a cage yet. They are difficult to get off amazon quickly as tempting as it is. Large cardboard boxes and dens are good though.

DS does not stop all day, but normally he would burn it off at nursery or school. We've never been able to just 'stay home' since he was 2. So feral without opportunity to get it out of his system is our normal.

You know when the muppets run with their heads flapping behind them slightly, that's DS. He runs around the house going 'wooohoooo' ALL DAY long. It's like zoom, zoom, zoom.

I think you have to go with it to a certain extent.

It's bloody exhausting.

But I can get same day gin delivery so it's all OK by 9pm. (when the little fucker eventually goes to sleep, two hours after he was sent).

PS I think more kids are like this than most parents are letting on, although I do know mine is particularly feral naturally.

Also.., I think it's good to step back sometimes and let them work it out themselves (arguments I mean). I step in when it gets too much and I've had to work hard at stepping back as my instinct is to jump in, but it helps them learn to compromise and sort out differences themselves. Look at it like you're giving them life lessons lol

Plus gin. You need gin.

Besides, they are home, who are they going to tell?

Well DS decided to announce he was playing computer games on last week's school zoom and DH was trying to prime him to tell his teacher he'd seen chicks and great tits on his walk this week much to my horror... (he didn't thank god).

My Grandparents raised me, my brother and sister and we went through a phase of constant wrestling. Grandmothers resolution was to pull mattresses onto floors in the largest bedroom, threw in as many cushions in and said “fight in there!”. Then she and my Granddad would have some brandy or whiskey - if we ever got hurt and went running to them she’d just raise an eyebrow and say “well, maybe don’t fight so much then?”... we grew out of it after a few good bruises and scrapes (never any serious injuries though!).

@RedToothBrush
sounds like something my husband would do. Love it.
Feral is definitely the new normal OP. For adults as well as kids...

My dc took turns shutting each other in the dog's crate. They were having fun so I left them too it. I intervened quite quickly when I saw one fastening a dog collar lead round the other one's neck though! 😂😱

We played dodgeball with soft foam balls to get out all the aggression, great for improving hand eye coordination too 😂

When they got sick of that I got them to sit at the table and make wanted posters of each other (sneaky drawing and handwriting practise).

Just go with it! When I get desperate for them to stop I put one in a bubble bath and read stories with the other, then switch :)

Teach them basic first aid.mine sort each others minor cuts and grazes now. They call for me if they can't get the dirt out.

Our saying... Just because A&E is nearby, doesn't mean we have to use it.

Mine are the same, I separate them these days after one dislocated the others elbow swinging him round

@RedToothBrush I think we have the same child.

And to whoever said it I can confirm one child is also a nightmare in lockdown. Everyone tells you ‘at least they have no one to argue with’ but it’s not true, he just argues with us.

Definitely not the only one with feral children. Have a 2 year old DS and nearly 4 year old DD here. DD has always been very physical here and is constantly trying to wrestle or sit on DS. If it was a fair fight I would just let them get on with it and I do if DS seems happy.. But DD is obviously stronger and bigger and although DS is occasionally the egger-oner, has always been a lot calmer and more placid and often just wants to be left alone! I do often wonder how different his personality/life would be if he was an only child or his sibling wasn't crazy..

He holds his own with rolling around in dirt though...

@redtoothbrush.. Sounds a lot like my DD too..

6 and 3 year old here and yep lots of wrestling. I'm working from home while DH is out to work daily. On a conference call yesterday with a high up boss I had to keep a straight face and pretend my 3 year old in the background was a cat as he decided to spend 10 solid minutes meowing...

DS is currently trying to wrestle me. He's an only.