7 year old just punched me in the face

[SomeonesRealName]

Forgot to hide his PS4 controllers this morning (he has to do learning first) and so took them off him when he got up. He went berserk yelling at me and hitting at me, saying he would smash our TV. I gave him a warning and tried to distract him but then he continued so I tried to put him in time out and that's when he punched me in the face with a closed fist. It really hurt. His timer finished but he was still giving me attitude and tbh I felt nowhere near ready to hug and make up. He's still on the step. Any advice?

Does he have any additional needs? That's very extreme. Are you OK? Time out and a naughty step is usually used on toddlers, have you looked into a method for older children?

No controllers for the rest of the day at least. Then he doesn't get them back until he apologises properly.
Unless he has additional needs, 7 is old enough to understand that his behaviour is unacceptable.

No additional needs but he has a very hot temper. He has time outs and a token system happy tokens for good behaviour that he can trade for gaming time and sad tokens for bad behaviour which means he's not allowed any treats until the token is paid off. Any ideas for something more age appropriate? I've told him we'll discuss consequences later (when I calm down)

Is this behaviour typical?
Well the PS4 would be gone altogether.
I’d probably have him in his room all day with no electronics and then have a talk later about assault/ anger management etc

That's awful. I hope that you are okay.
You need to put the PS4 in the loft or similar and leave it there for a very long time.
Do not 'hug and makeup' until he is utterly contrite.
What he did is very wrong.

In his room all day with no electronics that would be an absolute eternity for a 7 year old, have you really done that?

You shouldn't even have to 'hide' things, your child should be able to understand that something can be around them that they can't yet touch, so clearly this has happened before or there are deeper issues/multiple things happening.

Does his school ever say anything about behaviour?

He needs to stay on the step until he's ready to apologise properly.
Violence of any kind would be a red card here, which is 24 hours of no treats, sweets, screens etc. Yellow card (general cheek, disobedience etc) is an hour.

Completely unacceptable. That's a very extreme reaction from a child with no additional needs. PlayStation would be gone in my house and I'd be speaking to school or GP about where I can access additional support or assessment. The "hot temper" needs addressing immediately.

That's not ok at all, regardless of his temper, which at 7 is something of a statement. I'd be removing all ps4 rights until further notice. Literally remove the entire console, put it in the boot of your car etc so it is gone from the house.
He's overstepped a very firm boundary and needs to see real consequences of behaving like that now. No fuss, no getting cross on your behalf, just simple removal and don't engage in conversation about it, just repeat that you're very upset and sad that he punched you and that it's not ok.

If using the ps4 causes such extremes in behaviour I'd have to give it serious consideration as to whether it was allowed back in the house and I'd certainly be looking at the types of games he was playing on there.

@SomeonesRealName

In his room all day with no electronics that would be an absolute eternity for a 7 year old, have you really done that?

He deserves it.

I agree with suggestion of putting PS4 away where he can't have it you have to let him understand that he assaulted you and violence is not acceptable! He won't be 7 forever and things will only get worse if you don't get a grip now! For you OP 💐 stay strong xx

I'd sell the PS4.

It's such extreme behaviour, and he's only 7. I can only imagine how it could escalate as he gets older.

I also agree with other posters that the time out step and hugging it out are suitable for much younger children.

I’ve definitely removed electronics from a 7 year old before - not confined them to their room though, sent them outside to play, encouraged Lego etc. But a good couple of days without screens is certainly called for here. There’s no way I’d stand for that, or having to hide anything.

I have found that the consoles introduced a whole different level of angry reaction in my boys, what games does he play. The frustration of losing they carry around with them in general. Does he chat with other players?

I wouldn’t shut him in his room all day, but I would definitely be banning electronics for
The rest of the week. Understandably lots of kids have been spending a lot more time on their various devices during lockdown, but it does them good to have a break and your son clearly needs a break.

Stop being a soft touch OP. It wouldn't be hell for a 7 year old to go without a ps4, trust me I have a 9 & 7 year old. They get their electronics taken off them when being naughty and then they have to do something else like play in the garden or draw etc.

Punching you in the face because you took it away is very worrying if he has no additional needs.

No his school and clubs say his behaviour is perfect, it's just at home that he can be difficult - but this is much worse than normal. I've taken the PS4 away on other occasions but for more minor stuff. He's played it more over the lockdown as he's an only child and it's his only social interaction and I work, so it's not been ideal and I do think a week off it would be an interesting experiment.

Consoles yet again
Wouldn't have them in the house.

I would come down really hard on that and I'd remove the PS4. Don't hide it but put it where he can't get it and tell him he does not get it with that sort of behaviour. He should not be given a chance to win it back until you decide and I would let him think about that for days if not weeks to be honest. I have a 7 year old boy and I would come down hard on any signs of violence like that and that sort of behaviour needs a sharp shock to make him understand it's not acceptable

Get rid of the PS4 all together.

I managed a day in my room with no electronics when I was a kid and so can your ds, he and you as a family will have to find other things to do

It is totally unacceptable for him to punch you in the face and he is old enough to know this.

He wouldn’t be getting that PS4 back, full stop. That’s horrendous behaviour, and it needs addressing seriously ASAP. Agree with speaking with a GP in order to access further support.

Is this is a one off because as you mention a hot temper it sounds part of an anger issue. Is he receiving any support for this? If not I'd be speaking to the school and GP. He needs to know that this is absolutely not OK. This is more than a naughty step issue. I might be use a time out with my 2 year old when she hits or bites (I say 2, she's 23 months) because she's only just understanding that's not OK and hurts. A 7 year old knows full well not to hit. Does he have any strong male role models he can spend the day with and blow off some steam/reflect on his behaviour? The PlayStation would be gone. I would be putting it in the loft until Xmas if I thought his behaviour had improved.

It wouldn't be an experiment it would be called parenting!!

That would be PS4 to the charity shop for me, DS in his room all day, and a serious conversation tonight about how if he was a little bit older, you would have called the police.