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Age 3 is killing me. What am I doing wrong?!

21 replies

AmandaPleaseDotCom · 03/11/2024 13:51

I just feel so crap about my parenting at the moment. DD is 3 (and 3 months) and it just feels like everything I do or say is wrong and sends her into a blind rage.

She is at pre school most of the week and we work, so weekends are when we spend most of our time together. From the moment we get up I feel like I'm on egg shells. She doesn't want to do anything I suggest and if I leave her to it she follows me around shouting and whining. She doesn't want any breakfast but then the minute we leave the house she is hungry. I always have snacks on hand but she doesn't want whatever I've got. She doesn't want to get dressed. Won't walk nicely holding my hand. In shops and out and about she will run off laughing. Anytime I have to put her anywhere like a trolley or her car seat she stiffens herself and screams. I've had to start putting our pets in different rooms because she's starting to push and poke them when she's in a mood. Counting to 3 does nothing. She doesn't care about any consequences really.

We spend a lot of time with her cousin who is a smidge younger and she seems to constantly be pushing and shoving him. I remove her from the situation of course but it's becoming really hard to do that the bigger she gets because she will start to scratch and pinch and hit at me. If I put her in her bedroom to calm down she will just destroy the entire room.

I just feel like I'm losing control and nothing I do has any effect. The weekends have just become screaming and whinging and I actually look forward to Monday morning when she's back at pre school which sounds horrible. I feel horrible even typing this because up until a few months ago, and sometimes even now, she was the most delightful little girl. Pre school have no issues with her and say she has plenty of friends, gets stickers for good listening etc! Same with Grandparents. It just seems to be with me and DH.

Has anyone got any tips?

OP posts:
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Kaleidoscopic101 · 03/11/2024 15:40

I sought advice at this age (was also during lockdown down with a baby so I was losing my absolute mind)...it's imo the hardest age hands down. This is because they don't understand give and take, past, present and future and there's a whole realm of development going on. If you can get some early help advice (e.g. local service) it can be really validating and give you some strategies that you can try and report back on the next session.

Ok so just a few things I picked up on...she might be very tired being at pre school all week and just generally under par, therefore lashing out. If she's good at pre school shows she knows how to behave and working hard to conform, be good and patient, take turns etc. They can release all that pent up frustration at times they feel in safe company. Lastly she is doing things for a reaction (like the running away laughing), I would say this could be a sign she's actually quite an intelligent girl and again just frustrated with the age.

It can just be a case of riding it out but I would recommend trying to have a laugh with her at appropriate times, despite your feelings. Tickle fights. High fives between getting an item of clothes on. Jokes like 'high five, low five, too slow', fist bumps, just to break that tension and distract and refocus them on the task at hand. Also when you speak to her, get down on her level and slowly speak to her, eye contact. Sometimes we do rush about and easy to forget they are only 3.

BertieBotts · 04/11/2024 21:18

If she responds to the positive stuff from nursery I would honestly give this a go: https://www.coursera.org/learn/everyday-parenting/home/welcome

It might help change the dynamic. Some of it feels overly weird and forced but they're all just things you can try and see if it helps.

I have also found the How To Talk books really helpful and the books by Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson are also absolutely brilliant. Lastly there is an absolute hidden gem called "When Your Kids Push Your Buttons" which is only 99p on Kindle and is one of the best parenting books ever.

It's a really challenging age. I totally struggled especially with my eldest - it has been a bit easier with my younger two (they still hit challenging stages though!)

BTW, you say until recently she was a delight - when she was 2, how did you get her to do stuff that needed to be done? I do think I fell into a trap, and now I've seen it in hindsight I can see others falling into this too, I loved all of the gentle, co-operative, feelings, lovey, fun, positive, playful stuff when DC1 was tiny and thought I really had the toddler thing cracked and I was great at setting boundaries but in reality, the fact is that two year olds are really easy to persuade, trick, distract, and manipulate into thinking that something is their idea and every time I thought I was holding a boundary, I was actually just doing this, and this isn't boundary holding - it's sort of bending and stretching around a boundary so that you never have to actually show it to them because if they become aware of the boundary, they get upset, and I really found it difficult when he was upset if I felt like I didn't absolutely have to hold that rule (e.g. it wasn't difficult to physically move him away from the interesting, glowy hot cooker, and I didn't feel bad about doing this - but I would definitely tell him the biscuits were all gone, rather than just saying no, because it was easier than enduring a tantrum.)

So I had an absolutely wonderful time at two, never a "terrible" moment at all, but then three came along, and three is really not so easily persuaded, they have much longer memories and don't forget or get distracted as easily. Three knows what they want and they have much more stamina and stubbornness than Two. Three is contrary and they will pick a side which is opposite to you and run with it even if they can clearly see that their side is wrong, just for the experience of seeing what happens. Three is fierce and you need some boundary holding skills for sure at three.

Some people HATE two and find it an utter nightmare, because they are trying to hold boundaries in a verbal/traditional way and two year olds don't understand this a lot of the time so it leads to a lot of frustration and tantrums, but by three they are pretty much getting there and/or there is enough repetition that they are beginning to predict the basic expectations, too.

OTOH if you get to three and this is the first time that you actually have to hold boundaries, it's really hard. Hard because I wasn't practised at it but also hard because my 3yo didn't have the experience of the repetition that most 3yos have experienced, and hard because I struggled so much every time I felt I was upsetting him which then undermined my own authority. I didn't feel confident because I could no longer persuade him to like and agree with all of my choices. I would have had a better time if I had known that it was totally normal and fine for him not to like what I had decided and that it was not at all cruel for me to make decisions, nor was it my job to get him to agree with me! It was just my job to make sure things happen and that I communicated clearly in a way he would understand, and provide sufficient structure and so on that things are predictable and he knew what the expectation was, rather than thinking I was modelling flexibility by bending and flexing all the time.

Diggby · 04/11/2024 22:01

100% what @BertieBotts said.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Somehowgirl · 04/11/2024 22:27

@BertieBotts

Thank you for the book recommendation. I have downloaded the audio book

tallegorical · 04/11/2024 22:32

You've had good advice. Additionally, to be honest, she sounds like she may be autistic. That is why you're finding it challenging, not because you're getting it wrong as a parent.

SuperGinger · 04/11/2024 22:49

Sounds like she might be tired by the weekend. My top tip is to avoid conflict, do not to tell her to do stuff but ask her to show you how she does stuff so she can feel independent.

For example, "Today we are going for a dressing challenge, show me how fast you can do it, let's go for a personal best." Then time her and cheer.

In terms of breakfast offer pancakes or scones and say you will make them together and she can use the beater to mix the mixture.

Also leave time just to cuddle up with a few books and wind down towards the end of the day

Strugglingteacher · 04/11/2024 23:09

tallegorical · 04/11/2024 22:32

You've had good advice. Additionally, to be honest, she sounds like she may be autistic. That is why you're finding it challenging, not because you're getting it wrong as a parent.

What a ridiculous armchair diagnosis.

tallegorical · 05/11/2024 18:24

Not really, I've worked in the field for 20 years and the pattern described by the OP is a copy of what parents of autistic girls tend to see around age 3. Of course, I'm not saying I'm definitely right. Just that the OP can perhaps stop blaming herself and it may be due to her child neurotype, not her parenting

AmandaPleaseDotCom · 05/11/2024 20:37

Thank you for all the comments! So much food for thought and helpful advice ❤

@tallegorical to be honest I have considered this as I think I might be autistic myself. However a lot of the 'flags' like delayed speech, sensory issues etc I read about don't fit her really. I'd like to know more about how it presents in young girls, could you share any info or resources?

OP posts:
Beansandneedles · 05/11/2024 20:47

Another fan of the 'how to' books here. Also found 'calmer, happier, easier, parenting' handy with my first Three, but not so great for DD who is about to turn 3.5.

@BertieBotts nailed it in so many ways. Three is Two with attitude and dictator level negotiation skills. Three can look you in the eye and say 'I love you mummy, but I don't like you much today' 😅 They're as brutal as they are brilliant.

tallegorical · 05/11/2024 23:20

Well then it may make sense OP. The autistic girls network is a good place to start. This document refers to older girls but it may be helpful for you also autisticgirlsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Keeping-it-all-inside.pdf

Sometimes the sensory issues are less obvious, or could be a strength for her. Any differences in response to pain, socks, not liking washing hands or hair, picky eating? To be fair most three year olds are unreasonable so it can be hard to tell at this age and it may become clearer as she gets older. The running off may be because she's overstimulated by the sensory environment in the shops for example, as well as a lack of danger awareness.

Delayed language is actually reasonably rare in autistic girls without a learning disability. More often they may be early talkers and can be hyperlexic (early readers). Hyperempathic often also.

No harm in clueing up on it a bit. Worth trying strategies that increase predictability, including visuals like timers and visual checklists/routines. Low stimulus environments where possible.

BertieBotts · 06/11/2024 20:47

My kids are neurodivergent also. I wasn't going to mention that but since the conversation is going there. I have ADHD myself and my eldest is diagnosed and the middle one is due to have his assessment in a couple of weeks (possibly for ASD as well).

I agree that anecdotally, finding things get harder rather than easier at 3 seems to be a really common pattern within ND families. I think some of that is probably developmental/approach related, which is why I wrote about that pattern. But maybe it's more exacerbated with ND children because you can much more easily get into a spiral situation where they misbehave due to ND related communication/anxiety/stress etc mismatch and then you respond with something that stresses them further which leads to more behaviour whereas with a NT child even if your behaviour management is sometimes off they can shrug it off more easily and move onto the next thing.

To be honest with both DS1 and DS2 it was unhelpful to have people on MN and IRL tell me they sounded normal because it muddied the water and made it difficult to trust my own judgement. With DS2 in particular I have had so much more experience with children his age and I can clearly see he is very very different from his peers, and even DS1's behaviour was definitely in an outer edge of normal, but I didn't realise it then.

I think it would be helpful to have a sort of watch and wait category for both ADHD and ASD rather than all this "they're fine, all 4yos do that" which just makes you feel like you're going crazy.

MollyButton · 06/11/2024 20:53

I have to say using the strategies for a ND child will not do a neurotypical one any harm Grin

tallegorical · 06/11/2024 21:01

MollyButton · 06/11/2024 20:53

I have to say using the strategies for a ND child will not do a neurotypical one any harm Grin

10000%! They actually help all kids

tallegorical · 06/11/2024 21:02

BertieBotts · 06/11/2024 20:47

My kids are neurodivergent also. I wasn't going to mention that but since the conversation is going there. I have ADHD myself and my eldest is diagnosed and the middle one is due to have his assessment in a couple of weeks (possibly for ASD as well).

I agree that anecdotally, finding things get harder rather than easier at 3 seems to be a really common pattern within ND families. I think some of that is probably developmental/approach related, which is why I wrote about that pattern. But maybe it's more exacerbated with ND children because you can much more easily get into a spiral situation where they misbehave due to ND related communication/anxiety/stress etc mismatch and then you respond with something that stresses them further which leads to more behaviour whereas with a NT child even if your behaviour management is sometimes off they can shrug it off more easily and move onto the next thing.

To be honest with both DS1 and DS2 it was unhelpful to have people on MN and IRL tell me they sounded normal because it muddied the water and made it difficult to trust my own judgement. With DS2 in particular I have had so much more experience with children his age and I can clearly see he is very very different from his peers, and even DS1's behaviour was definitely in an outer edge of normal, but I didn't realise it then.

I think it would be helpful to have a sort of watch and wait category for both ADHD and ASD rather than all this "they're fine, all 4yos do that" which just makes you feel like you're going crazy.

10000% agree with this too. Parents feel gaslit and like they must be a bad parent

Flipzandchipz · 06/11/2024 21:25

OP I’m writing this lying next to my 3 year old DS who has just gone to sleep after a I’ve had a battle to get him to bed. He has slightly different behaviours to your DD but I clicked on your thread as I am feeling similar to you. He was easier at 2, thought I’d cracked things but at at 3.5 he just became so much more difficult to parent. His speech is delayed so we can communicate a little but I can’t have a conversation with him. We’ve done all sorts of work and have had speech therapy, he’s getting there but slowly. Getting him dressed, changed, teeth brushed is a battle. Potty training is not working. He cries and flings himself on the floor if he doesn’t want to do something and hits or bumps his own head, he has recently started hitting us/grandparents, we firmly tell him no that hurts/isn’t kind and he will say sorry but he doesn’t learn from it. He sometimes follows instructions but also I sometimes feel like I’m talking to a wall as he doesn’t always look or listen. He is tall and strong for his age so it makes it even harder. I just wanted to say you’re not alone. Will be looking at the advice you’ve gotten from PP’s and trying it myself!

Flipzandchipz · 06/11/2024 21:27

And it is interesting reading the comments as I’m on the waiting list for an ADHD assessment, I already have a dyslexia diagnosis and I wonder if DS may be neurodivergent, the nursery/health visitor/GP at some point have all said that it can be normal for his age and that it is hard to tell.

tallegorical · 06/11/2024 21:35

Flipzandchipz · 06/11/2024 21:25

OP I’m writing this lying next to my 3 year old DS who has just gone to sleep after a I’ve had a battle to get him to bed. He has slightly different behaviours to your DD but I clicked on your thread as I am feeling similar to you. He was easier at 2, thought I’d cracked things but at at 3.5 he just became so much more difficult to parent. His speech is delayed so we can communicate a little but I can’t have a conversation with him. We’ve done all sorts of work and have had speech therapy, he’s getting there but slowly. Getting him dressed, changed, teeth brushed is a battle. Potty training is not working. He cries and flings himself on the floor if he doesn’t want to do something and hits or bumps his own head, he has recently started hitting us/grandparents, we firmly tell him no that hurts/isn’t kind and he will say sorry but he doesn’t learn from it. He sometimes follows instructions but also I sometimes feel like I’m talking to a wall as he doesn’t always look or listen. He is tall and strong for his age so it makes it even harder. I just wanted to say you’re not alone. Will be looking at the advice you’ve gotten from PP’s and trying it myself!

Do keep autism in mind, as this is a classic autistic picture 🩷

Flipzandchipz · 06/11/2024 21:40

@tallegorical thank you. We have wondered this.

Howcanifixthis · 06/11/2024 21:49

My daughter was exactly like this when she turned three - it was exacerbated by the arrival of her baby sister.

I can tell you that it got much better after about 6 months - she’s returned to the delightful girl she was at 2. Sometimes it’s just developmental at this age so try not to worry.

I would highly recommend Good Inside by Dr Becky Kennedy, she’s amazing.

User08305972 · 02/11/2025 09:09

Any update OP?

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