Being irrationally annoyed by 6yo ds

[Shorty1980]

As the title says really, I'm finding DS1 toecurlingly irritating - to the point where I feel I really don't like him very much. If he isn't arguing about the most pointless thing then he is whining and moaning, he is mean to his younger brothers and talks to me like i am dirt, he is constantly playing with his willy and picking his nose, he never ever ever stops talking or making annoying noises, he can't entertain himself for even 5 minutes and demands my full attention at all times... At this rate he isn't going to live through the summer!

I know the problem is with me and not him (I don't doubt he is anything other than a typical 6 yo) but at the moment his company is like nails on a blackboard.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like this about one of my children?

Absolutely not but he does sound like bloody hard work!

My two can be whiney and irritating but on the whole they're quite happy playing together. Does he not play with his siblings?

Sending sympathy. I often find pretty much everything DC does annoying to the point of being shocked at how unlikeable I am being back.

I dont' have experience with a child that age. Gut feeling though is that he is actually feeling insecure which seems to be behind most attention seeking. Do you have a chance for him to spend a good day or half day getting sole attention from somebody, without siblings?

Sadly not Ilovemydog, he'd rather spend time with me - in his defence DS2 is 3 and DS3 is only 1 so they aren't all that fun yet. But they will happily play with each other for hours!

The sad thing is other people tell me what a polite and lovely boy he is, and yet right now I'm not seeing it.

Is he always like this or is it just because he's off school?

Omeoma you could well be right about the insecurity - he is sensitive and he doesn't get much of my time one on one anymore. Maybe I am just expecting too much of him, he is still a baby himself really (and I know from experience how rubbish it can be being the eldest).

I resolve to do better tomorrow grits teeth

Ilovemydog he's always like this but usually I get a break while he's at school! I think it's worse because he's bored though, he is too clever for his own good.

if you were also the eldest, is it worth trying to identify any ways that your son either reminds you of yourself (and that you don't like), or you find him different and therefore irritates you? either of these can be triggers for getting one's back up. school hold don't help! they get so much stimulation in a school environment (and conversely, I think they get knackered from a whole term of that and it comes out in the hold).

hold = hold

omg!!!! HOLD = HOLS
FFS