My son started school in September and I’m very embarrassed by his behaviour.
Around a year ago he was so polite and well mannered, people would always comment on it. Now he is the complete opposite, doesn’t say please or thank you without prompt, pushes past people instead of saying excuse me, very impatient and gets so close to other children and people in the line so doesn’t give them their own space. He gets very over excited and then just behaves really silly. All this has been going on since he turned 4 earlier in the year and we have been working on it and it was improving, but since starting school it’s been even worse. The boys in his class are all quite boisterous. My son never has been, but he is easily influenced so has been playing fighting games at lunch and then ultimately getting into trouble when someone gets hurt (I will say it’s not just my son, it’s all the boys from what the teacher has said, but it’s just something else to add to the ever growing list and something extra I don’t want to have to deal with).
There is a play park near the school on the walk home and after school lots of children go there for a little while to play. Today he nearly caused a massive pile up on a roundabout and nearly broke his neck in the process. When I’ve taken him there he just behaves so silly like bumping into people on purpose. The other week he was playing with one of his school friends and tried to push them down the slide which he has literally never done before - I was mortified. It wasn’t done in a nasty way, his friend basically sat at the top of the slide and refused to go down, my son being impatient decided to just push him down instead. He doesn’t listen, trying to get him to leave said park or any place he doesn’t want too causes a massive tantrum or we end up having him to pick him up like a baby and carry him out. I’ve had a call home from school to say he got a bit overexcited and hurt a child in the process and the parents complained.
We banned him from the park for most of this week as he threw a fit last week when we were trying to leave, but he had been listening well in the evenings and has been very polite so I said he could go on again today as a treat. Now I’ve had to ban him again.
I’m very embarrassed by his behaviour at the minute. I feel like all the other parents are looking at me, and looking at my son like he’s the ‘naughty’ child as I’m always having to correct his behaviour, when I know deep down he isn’t. None of the above was an issue at nursery. Even his manners etc weren’t an issue at nursery, they always said he was very polite and well mannered, always played nicely. It was only at home that it was a problem. Now it seems to be all the time.
As I said he has just started school. He has had homework every night from the first day as well as bringing home books for him to read, so I do think he is exhausted and probably a bit overwhelmed at times. Maybe he is just adjusting and it will settle down, but I just can’t go on like this for much longer. I haven’t raised him this way.
Has anyone been through similar?
What do you think I should do?
Please no nasty comments, I am aware my son is behaving awfully, hence the post. I’m looking for some constructive parenting advice on how to navigate this and deal with it effectively because clearly what I am doing isn’t working.