DS1 is 3 in a couple of weeks and along with being hilariously funny, charming, sweet, articulate, active and engaged, he is also a giant pain in the ass!
Gawd bless him, he can test us - he's whiney, tantrums for any number of ridiculous reasons, when told not to do something he hangs his head in a sulk, is increasingly scared of things, wants to be carried everywhere yet doesn't want to cuddle, can NOT sit still for any length of time, is fiercely independent yet doesn't really want to be and doesn't cope well with change.
I get that this is no doubt normal for a 3 year old boy with ants in his pants and I don't necessarily want to stop any behaviour other than shutting down the tantrums when they start and stopping the whining. We're pretty strict with boundaries on bed time, and I try to make sure that we follow rules with the potty and teethbrushing, but I do it all with fun and try to keep it lighthearted so it doesn't become a chore.
He's been going through a very insecure stage in the last month or so which we seem to be coming out of and I'm happy for him to be active as I'm more of an outdoorsy mum than a baking and crafting mum but I just want advice on how best to deal with his tantrums or when he genuinely is upset.
I just want to be able to parent him better I guess, I think we're doing the best job we can not to fuck him up, but if there are any books out there that people have found helped with a whiney, demanding child then please let me know!