Struggling with my nearly 5 year old at the moment.

[kickingking]

I am 22 weeks pregnant, with an already sizeable bump and mild PGP, and a nearly 5 year old.

We have both been on holiday all week. He is a lovely boy usually, but this week he has been horrid.

He will not leave me alone and makes constant demands of me. It has been explained to him by both me and DH that I am finding it harder to be running around and get
on the floor - he is a bright and caring child and I have no doubt he understands this.

Today, he told me at breakfast that he was going to look after me today and be 'like my servant'. However, within half an hour his good intentions had gone to waste and he was screaming at me to get him dressed, wipe his bottom and find a toy for him. He is perfectly capable of doing all of these himself. We live in a three storey with a weird quirky layout so I feel like I am constantly going up and down stairs to meet his demands. The tantrum that ensures if I don't can beggar belief.

I think he is basically resentful that I am not the spritely mummy he is used to anymore.

Any ideas what to do with him?! I seriously cannot get things done for Christmas with him like this. We are normally good mates

Has he recently started school? Ds1 who was a lovely 4 YO has turned into a stroppy demanding 5 YO with serious attitude . It co-incided with school and birth of DS4. This week he's told me twice he doesn't want brothers and wants just me, his dad and him in the family. I have no answers I'm afraid - just sympathy. I'm riding it out with you.

Yes he started school in September. He loves it, and I think he is missing the routine and the stimulation - after only three days

He has spent all day stropping and creating havoc - he took all the cushions off all the sofas when I was not in the room, so I had to heft heavy seat cushions off the floor. He found a ball of string in a kitchen drawer and created a 'spider web' all over the kitchen, wrapping string round the chairs and the cupboard door handles. Which I then had to unravel, while he screamed and tried to stop me.

He has asked me not to 'tell Daddy about today'

I am putting him to bed early. I can't take any more!

Yeah - dh freaks out about telling daddy too for some reason even though mummy is much stricter. We don't have wanton destruction to be honest - just foot stamping and histrionic tantrums. I put it down to him being a Leo.

He sounds like my DD who is 5 in March :(

I am not pregnant and she has no younger siblings We have had almost a week of her standing on her head on the settee, jumping off the settee, chasing the cats (and lugging them round the house) and generally being a PITA. Lots of sly pinches, pokes and biting, with an instant (and insincere) "Sorreee".

Managed to put her in a shopper's creche for 2 hours this morning, which was bliss.