is your 6 year old difficult at the moment?

[fattybum]

Mine is. Ds1 is 6.8 and seems to be going through a bad stage. Argumentative, back chatting, bad attitude etc.

Moaning that things are "boring" or "i don't care". He's turned into Kevin the teenager.

I'm not well at the moment so after making breakfast, I sat down to rest. Ds1 asked for water, I said you'll have to get it yourself, "can't you do something for once" he said. I got very angry about this and explained all the things I do for him. He seems to have a horrible sense of entitlement and I don't know how to change it.

Finding I'm doing a lot of ranting at the moment.

Any tips on encouraging gratitude, or at least sympathy!

Tia

Bump

Yes! My ds1 is also 6.8 (7 in July) and he recently has been rather challenging. Might be a testosterone surge? I also have a DD who is 10. She is a nightmare, hormone city. No real advice but I feel your pain!

Yes, my DD is 6.5 and very hard work, especially when she is tired. She can be very rude at times, answering back, and flies off the handle very quickly. We have had to be very strict with her recently.

It makes me so sad! Feel like too much of half term has been spent lecturing/punishing him. Just feels like I'm getting it all wrong.

Yep same here!
Had the same entitlement lack of appreciation of family and everything that is done for him.
Glad we will be back to school but we've had an exhausting holiday so its going to be a loooooong week!

Yep, ds (6.3) is much cheekier than he was a few months ago. Dn however is nearly 7 and sil reckons is coming out the other side - so there is hope!

I feel for you!

My DS, also 6.8 funnily enough, seems to have turned into a stroppy 14yo constantly back chatting, shouting and stomping around.

I had put it down to change as I'm 38 Weeks pregnant so assumed he was reacting to that but the hormone thing is interesting to note.

6 is the worst age, ime. Eldest now 13 so am braced for the delights of 13+, but 6 still the worst so far with every child.

So it might not be my shit parenting? That's a relief!

Yes my ds is! I'm glad it isn't just me.

My DS is still throwing tantrums at 6.2.

Marking place for empathy and possible bright ideas...

The best advice i've had is to keep them close and keep loving them even when they're vile, its not easy and it takes lots of practice. Sometimes its hormones and sometimes there's a real issue behind their behaviour that comes out eventually, my DC are 8 & 12 so both testing their limits etc in different ways, our kids are sent to try us (a lot!)

God yes, mine too! He will be 7 in July and is prone to sulking, tantrumming and slamming doors if he doesn't get his own way provoked - I naively didn't expect that until his teen years He also seems to be getting more aggressive towards DS2 so I wonder is this is due to a surge in testosterone aswell

And, yes to the sense of entitlement When we say no to him, he moans about how he never gets anything blah blah when in fact he probably gets too much as I like to treat him and his brother.

However, when he is not in a mood, he is lovely - very cuddly and can be very helpful if he wants to be.

Doody. I agree and I do try. I find myself trying to avoid upsetting him to avoid tantrums but have an uncomfortable feeling that pandering to it is not helping iyswim.

I also find it very hard to keep calm when he is hitting DD (8) although she will usually have wound him up first. I divide them up wherever possible. Wearing though isn't it.

Oh, is this all it is? A testosterone surge? I did wonder. My wonderful, helpful, kind 6 yr old has turned into the child from hell over the last 2 weeks, shouting, arguing, screaming, throwing things, sulking, back-chatting and general unpleasantness. I hope it's over soon and my son comes back. it's exhausting, it really is.

I'm so glad you posted this. My lovely 6.4 yr old has been taken in the night and replaced with a sulky, whiny, entitled teenager. He can't play nicely with his brother, he complains about everything, he whines, he collapses dramatically into tears if the tiniest thing goes wrong. It's exhausting.

Oh god yes mine too! I struggle with him a lot at the moment, he can be so unacceptably rude and I seem to spend a lot of time telling him off or punishing him for being truly vile despite trying hard to be calm and positive. He as started asking me a lot lately if I like him and i think we have got into a horrible viciou circle.

His 3 yo sister is an absolute dream in comparison, which makes it a lot worse!

Oh great, you've just all depressed me having reading this. DS is 6.1 and lovely at the moment, but now i'm filled with dread waiting for him to become a nightmare!!

missy - your DS will be fine, ours have mostly been like this for a while. Hide this thread

Concerned about ther 'testosterone' explanation .... doesn't help me with DD ... it must be my rubbish parenting, then.

I did a ed pysch course at work (am a TA ) and apparently they have major brain developments at 5 and 7 - could it be that ? clutches at straws