Three years old

[WinkyWinkola]

Is it too much to ask that he stops shouting and screaming about everything from winding up his window in the car to not being carried down the stairs?

Reasoning with him doesn't work. I just put him in his bedroom until he's calmed down.

When will it end? It's so wearing and it puts a real stress on DH and I. Does it get better? Do all kids go through it?

I so hope it is only a phase...

Our DD is driving both of us mad with her unreasonableness - she cried for over 40 minutes today because her brother wanted one of her books and no naughty step or time-out worked... and wants everything her baby brother shows any interest in.

It is driving DH and I mad and I just hope that there is light at the end of tunnel and we can move on..

I think 3.5-4 was the stormiest time for dd1. I read that hormones were flying around for them at this age - whatever the gender - so I used to imagine dd as being pms-ing and summon all my sympathy. It worked some of the time

As for storms over baby brothers and sisters, I think those are totally normal at any age, and although they drive me nuts too I do understand them. Imagine dp bringing home a charming, helpless new partner and asking you to be nice to her, share etc all the time

My 3 year old is the same, and my 2 year old copies him.
There is an awful lot of screaming and crying going on in this house just lately. God knows what the neighbours are thinking.

Same here with mine. Since about 3.6, he's been a pita.

Ah, good. I'm not alone. Not that I would wish this on any of you.

What are your tactics with this hysteria? DH wants to talk it through with DS {hmm] whilst I think it's best to put him in his room and ignore him until he's calm enough to talk.

The kind of thing he does for example, is to give his baby sister a toy and then starts hysteria over how it's his toy and he wants it back. This can go on for ages.

I often want to put DS in a cold shower to shut him up!

My 3yo has just started some formalised school and the big question is 'Do you like me?' I have to answer this question every 1/2 hour and get told regularly that she doesn't like me and isn't my friend ... I can't cuddle, hug or pick up my 14 mo DS unless she is on my lap or also being picked up .. and so it continues...

I like the analogy Elibean ..

I can't put ds in his room because he can open his safety gate. I just say to him 'YOu are not going to get anything until you calm down and ask me nicely' which often works. He will calm down and ask nicely.I also tell him to take deep breaths, which he interprets as breathing really quickly for about five seconds.
Sometimes i say 'oh my goodness, look at that out there and they both turn round to see what it is. Then I say 'That, in the garden, I cannot believe that' etc
All fine until you stop, then the screaming resumes.

My DS is three on Thursday. He sounds exactly the same. Some days it doesn't bother me and some days it is utterly draining.

I also go for the 'you are not going to get anything until you calm down' approach. Also, once I've said that, I know that I can't back down so it kind of makes it easier for me.

Sometimes I ask him to go and sit in his room until he has stopped crying. That usually works too.

If he is completely barmy after 6pm (usually after a full day at nursery or a bad night's sleep) then once he's stopped crying, I'll whack him in the bath and he'll magically stay in there for up to an hour if I'm lucky. There's definitely something magic about baths. If I do that, I usually try and get him to brush his teeth at the start because that can be a highly emotional thing too (aargh.)

Hmm, I too like the PMS analogy - I might give that a go. I am awful with PMS.

Ah, brings that memories, this does. But it does pass, you will survive! That age was hard work- life is a lot easier now that they're older. Hang on in there, it will get better