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How to deal with DS5 hitting dd9?

146 replies

TrollRoad · 27/08/2026 14:11

When DS5 is upset he gets violent and often his sister9 bears the brunt of it. He hits, kicks, bites, scratches or throws things. She usually screams or cries but she won't hit back as she doesn't want him to get hurt.

We remove him immediately and then tend to DD to check if she's ok. He's usually quite upset and scared himself after hitting anyone so I do hug him and tell him I love him and that we are there for him. He obviously feels bad but he refuses to apologise or even ask DD if she's ok. We have explained to him time and time again that hitting or any other form of violence is not ok and that we won't accept it. He gets an automatic TV ban for violence but I doubt that in that moment when he's in a rage he is actually capable of stopping himself from being violent.

DD always forgives him and often makes the first move to make up again but I am so scared that eventually this will affect their relationship or that he will grow up to be a violent person.

When he's not upset he is of course lovely and then I think he will eventually grow out of it but what if he doesn't? Besides till that happens DD has a right to be safe at all times.

They usually get on well and in spite the age gap still play nicely together (though DS has lashed out before as well. Actually every time he gets upset) but the holidays have just forced them to spend too much time with each other. Also, DH and me have no leave left so are working full time (grand parents are at home with the kids or they go to holiday clubs), which probably doesn't help.

Any advice? Does anyone have experience of this? What helped? Equally important, what didn't help?

OP posts:
Mistachio · 28/08/2026 15:59

Interesting he manages to behave at school. So he can control himself. He just chooses not to.

Iris2020 · 28/08/2026 16:13

TrollRoad · 27/08/2026 14:34

Yesterday DH told him he can't enter the same room as DD till he apologises to DD so he was loitering about the door of the living room crying and being really upset. I think I probably went to him after half an hour or so and I did tell him that we are very upset with him but that of course we love him and are there for him etc.

The thing that threw me a bit was that he absolutely refused to apologise to DD or to even ask her if she's ok. He said he can't do it. I think he finally ventured a half assed apology after over an hour and DD of course immediately forgave and hugged him and then they were the best of friends for the rest of the evening. He was very happy but I was hoping to see more genuine remorse.

We've told DD that she can defend herself and push him away if necessary but she won't do it and I also worry that he might really get hurt when eventually she does. I also think it's not her responsibility to defend herself. It's our job to keep her safe and to teach him to not be violent.

Well done for insisting on the apology. It doesn't matter if it takes 4 or 5 hours, he must apologise.

Ponderingwindow · 28/08/2026 16:28

Mistachio · 28/08/2026 15:59

Interesting he manages to behave at school. So he can control himself. He just chooses not to.

This is a common misunderstanding. Many children manage to regulate in outside environments, but use up all of their energy. By the time they get home, they are mentally and emotionally exhausted. Parents see the worst behavior because children are working so hard, but can’t maintain the facade indefinitely.

The key to improving behavior is figuring out how to make being outside of the home or in other situations easier. That way the child doesn’t use up all their mental energy outside of the house.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 28/08/2026 16:34

@rainbowsparkle28 Yes. Exactly. He needs to find empathy. Words and a card mean nothing if there’s no improvement and understanding about self control.

GreenHuia · 28/08/2026 20:02

Soontobe60 · 28/08/2026 15:35

You’re forgetting that the apology is also for the person who has been wronged. In this case, his sister will see that her brother is sorry. She may not want to play a game with him or even talk to him!

But if he is forced to apologise, will she really see that he is sorry? The action would have to be something she agrees to, and yes of course she might not want to play with him so he would have to find another way to make amends (with the support of an adult given his age).

BertieBotts · 28/08/2026 23:45

I haven't read every single reply, but what strikes me is that the response is oddly drawn out and seems very emotionally fraught.

IME if a 5yo hits, the most effective response is to immediately and sternly tell them no, separate them from the other child, give a short, mild and immediate punishment (e.g. time out/sit on stairs/send to room) and after this, prompt to apologise and inform if there is any further consequence, such as loss of a privilege. IME the short time out in the moment is usually enough - I only use loss of privileges to address issues which seem to have become a kind of automatic pattern.

If they are still within sight/earshot of you, then slightly play up the sympathy towards the other child (unless other child was winding up their sibling hoping to get them into trouble - which does happen - then they would get told off as well).

If 5yo is upset by this, that is not really a problem, in fact it is a good thing if they are upset because it shows they know that they did something wrong. However if they are escalating into hysteria and extreme distress, then it's clearly not productive and you might need a different response, and probably a more proactive management plan as well.

I would also not leave it for 30 minutes, and they don't need telling off by multiple parents. That is too long and making it into far too much of a drama. A 5 min time out is fine, maybe 10 mins max if they are angry/protesting being sent away or the other child is substantially upset and/or I need time to calm down myself. But don't just abandon the child who lost control either. Give them a short period of absence but then go and talk calmly to them. I would also not get into a stand off with a 5yo about not being able to enter a room with their sibling until they apologise, this is silly because it's impractical and you cannot force him to apologise. You can prompt him to apologise, explain why he should apologise, and you can punish him for not apologising if you feel that is right, but you are not in control of his voice box. And I do not enter stand offs with my DC over things like that, and especially not at age 5. I do appreciate though that sometimes in the moment we say something and then realise it's a silly thing to say but don't want to backtrack. But as a general rule, don't get into stand offs like this. It doesn't help. I have way more to say about the whole apology thing but it will have to be a separate reply, and maybe tomorrow because this is already really long. But in general, keep the response short, predictable and simple. Don't drag out punishments and stand offs, it gets you absolutely nowhere.

As for whether it's normal/typical behaviour for 5, I think it's completely normal for siblings to wind each other up and argue and this can get physical, obviously discouraging it is important but I do think it is completely normal for siblings to thump each other from time to time. IME though it is not normal for a 5yo to hit adults especially grandparents, sometimes they do get stuck in a habit of hitting a parent who hasn't put their foot down about hitting when the child was younger (e.g. 2/3).

But he isn't your first child - did your DD hit at 5? She has the self control at 9 not to hit her little brother, who is probably the single most annoying person on the planet to her. He's not a tiny baby either. It would be completely understandable if she hit him back and yet she doesn't. So at some point between 5 and 9 hitting goes from being "is this not typical?" to definitely not typical - when?

The other thing that makes me pause here is your description (taken from a few posts)

He's usually quite upset and scared himself after hitting anyone...He obviously feels bad but he refuses to apologise or even ask DD if she's ok...He said he can't do it...I doubt that in that moment when he's in a rage he is actually capable of stopping himself from being violent. The TV thing works as a consequence with everything else. In this case it doesn't work though because I think he's just too overcome by emotion to think rationally at that moment.

He was scared and upset. Not scared of us or his sister but maybe of himself and how to deal with his emotions and the situation. And I think he does get scared that maybe we don't love him when he lashes out. He was clearly very, very relieved when DD hugged him.

This to me sounds different. Both DS1 and 2 would be like this. I didn't understand it as much with DS1 but I recognised it more with DS2, and he gets it even more extreme than DS1 did. If he got to the point of hitting and you address it sternly or punitively in any way, it would put him into an extreme distress response and if you tried to get him to do any kind of remedial action (e.g. apologise to someone/clean up a mess made in anger) then it could start a chain reaction by the end of which he would have absolutely no clue WTF you were even on about. It was so obviously counterproductive that we had to stop and look at different approaches. Both DS1 and 2 have ADHD, DS2 is probably also autistic but not yet assessed. And no, before everyone starts on me, I am NOT saying that 5yo hitting = ADHD and I am NOT saying that big emotions over being told off = ADHD either, I am just saying that my 2x DC with ADHD would go into this kind of emotionally dysregulated state which might result in behaviours like hitting, and then would likely escalate if they got told off or punished for it. I guess I am saying that this "loss of control rage" type state is not typical, and the extreme emotional response to being told off or having lost control is also not typical. IME.

To contrast with DS3 who has just turned 5 - if he hits, he gets told no and sent to time out, you don't even have to take him, he just goes, sometimes angry and stomping, sometimes immediately upset - then he cries, he gets prompted to apologise, he apologises, he will be a bit upset in the moment, but everyone moves on, nobody feels unlovable, he is much less likely to hit for the next few days/weeks until he forgets again and over time it gets less and less frequent, I expect it will eventually stop. That's literally it!! No hours-long drama, no stand offs - he makes a mistake, feels bad about it, tries to make up for it, we all go on with life and the whole incident is over within a few minutes. It's like night and frigging day.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 29/08/2026 08:32

@BertieBotts So your dc apologies, forgets about how to behave, and does it all over again a few days later? So what’s the point of the apology then? He’s not learnt anything because it’s just words and he has no empathy with the dc who he’s hit! The problem is empathy. It’s hard learning that others have feelings but if they’ve not got it yet, you get repeat behaviour whatever you make them say!

DeeplyMovingExperience · 29/08/2026 08:45

I have zero contact with the brother who used to hit me when we were kids. Don't want anything to do with him.

Mischance · 29/08/2026 08:47

I know. I have told him as much. I told him other people will not ever accept violence towards them and they will shun him or hit back.**
Just to say that this is way too abstract and distant a concept for a 5 year old. He needs immediate consequences both to him (chosen punishment, rigorously applied by both parents) and to the victim (very overt attention and sympathy which excludes him).

Another factor is I feel that he has an August birthday and has controlled his emotions in school for a whole year when it is likely he was too young for this setting. He lets it all out at home where there are "softer" targets.

You need a discussion with your OH so your joint strategy is clear to your son.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 29/08/2026 09:23

August dc can be competent! He might be engaged at school and doesn’t have time or the inclination to hit anyone because the “play” is structured. Dc who get bored in the holidays tend to show worse behaviour than at school - at any age or birthday month. He maybe needs to be out more.

Mischance · 29/08/2026 10:53

August dc can be competent! - it is not about competence at all - it is about emotional readiness.

Mischance · 29/08/2026 10:57

I became a virtual "August child" because I was pushed on a year because my IQ happened to be high - but I was in no way emotionally ready.

Some chidlren who are young for their year do find it hard - this lad may have been holding it all in at school to an extent that left him struggling to deal with his emotions at home.

Lotsofsnacks · 29/08/2026 12:05

Dunnocantthinkofone · 27/08/2026 17:08

One other thought OP. You are unintentionally conditioning your daughter to being hit and accepting it so long as she gets a ‘sorry’
Is that really the message you want her to get through childhood? That a male can hit her so long as he apologises later?

This! Stop fussing over DS and advocate for poor DD. You need to stop the hugs for DS when hes just hit her, only gets those when he’s being nice

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 29/08/2026 15:02

@Mischance Splitting hairs! Competence can be assesed under 7 areas of learning and development . Of which one is personal, social and emotional. That is a competence! It’s in the EYFS framework.

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 29/08/2026 16:16

rainbowsparkle28 · 28/08/2026 15:49

If the apology is not genuine and he continues to be abusive towards her, she won’t see that her brother is sorry, it’s futile saying sorry with no change or accountability.

It's not either/or. He needs the whole package. Being removed from attention and demonstrations of affection until he's calmed down and is ready to acknolwedge he's done wrong, him giving the apology to recognise and respond to his sister's feelings.(which he finds difficult so all the more reason he needs to learn to do it); and a negative consequence that means something to him, like losing some TV time. It's not futile but it's not magic either. There is no magic that will stop him ever hitting his sister again.

Learning is not a one-off. He will learn, over time and with a consistent response from his parents.

And have a think about how you will respond if DD gets annoyed enough to thump him back. She's less likely to do that if she sees you standing up for her, firmly, every time.

EmpressaurusKitty · 29/08/2026 16:41

AmaryllisNightAndDay · 29/08/2026 16:16

It's not either/or. He needs the whole package. Being removed from attention and demonstrations of affection until he's calmed down and is ready to acknolwedge he's done wrong, him giving the apology to recognise and respond to his sister's feelings.(which he finds difficult so all the more reason he needs to learn to do it); and a negative consequence that means something to him, like losing some TV time. It's not futile but it's not magic either. There is no magic that will stop him ever hitting his sister again.

Learning is not a one-off. He will learn, over time and with a consistent response from his parents.

And have a think about how you will respond if DD gets annoyed enough to thump him back. She's less likely to do that if she sees you standing up for her, firmly, every time.

Or if DD decides she’s not going to accept his apologies any more - which would be a completely reasonable sign of healthy boundaries?

BertieBotts · 29/08/2026 18:21

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 29/08/2026 08:32

@BertieBotts So your dc apologies, forgets about how to behave, and does it all over again a few days later? So what’s the point of the apology then? He’s not learnt anything because it’s just words and he has no empathy with the dc who he’s hit! The problem is empathy. It’s hard learning that others have feelings but if they’ve not got it yet, you get repeat behaviour whatever you make them say!

Forgive me but I've yet to discover a parenting method in 18 years of parenting which works instantly and immediately and the behaviour never once reoccurs.

It's a process. As long as unwanted behaviour is reducing, it works.

In our case we have had issues with hitting longer than usual because DS2's meltdowns led to hitting being a behaviour we struggled to stop for longer, and the youngest obviously copies what they see the older one do.

MeetMeOnTheCorner · 29/08/2026 19:11

@BertieBotts And that proves apologies did not work. Repeating behaviours are not solved by apologies. Other strategies - yes.

BertieBotts · 29/08/2026 19:52

I didn't say apologies worked to change the behaviour Confused Prompting an apology teaches apologising, which is a whole different discussion about whether it's useful as an aim in itself or not, but as I said that would take longer to explain all my thoughts about.

noonames · 29/08/2026 21:44

The trouble is that 5 year olds are not capable of distinguishing between mummy is hugging you because why not, you’ve done nothing wrong and everything is completely fine, and mummy is hugging you because even though you did something wrong, she worries about you internalising that you’re bad and violent and beyond loving.

As many have said, he needs to be removed from the room to somewhere boring while DD gets loads of fuss, and he only gets to come back when he’s ready to apologise. It will take ages and ages at first, and he will seem very upset, because you have taught him that if he cries he gets a hug and all is immediately forgiven. He knows he can do whatever he likes with barely any consequence if he sheds a few tears afterwards. Meanwhile DD is learning that you are ok with her brother attacking her.

Screamingabdabz · 29/08/2026 23:08

“Another factor is that I think that I just need to make more time for ds.”

“He's actually not a bad loser. Most of the time when he hits it's because he doesn't get what he wants.”

“He has never caused bruises. The hardest he's hit was the latest episode which caused redness for about 20min or so but then faded.”

“I only remember twice that he's been violent towards them.”

“[we]Even shout at him.”

Still minimising and making excuses op. This won’t help his behaviour improve.

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