ds1 getting worse - name in 4 plases, making 'potions' in the bathroom and now glued his blind to his winodw

[popsycal]

following on from this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1375/850818-ds1-7-has-written-his-name-in-biro-on-my

ds1 has been struggling since starting year 3 - will link some threads in a bit

name found on our mattress, the bathroom wall, ds3's wardrobe and on landing wall. a few weeks ago, he went in the bathroom threee morningsin a row and mad 'potions' with my toiletries including the one expensive clarins thing i own.

today i find his blind stuck to his window with pritt stcik.

He has denied evrything but iot HAS to be him. Can't be anyone else. He is bare faced lying.

I have been calmand collected with him about the blind thinking he may tell the truthg if I am not ranting a raving.

But what on earth do i do?

Clearly I am doing something wrong

Deliberately not posted WHAT I have done about it so far so that I can get varied responses

rthanks you

just to add - he was 7 in August and is in Year 3

any advice please

I am not quite sure what is worrying you so much Popsycak, especially the pritt stick on the blind thing. But I am lying ill in bed with nothing else to do so am happy to talk. Will I understand better if I read the other thread?

If it helps, DS1 (8, in year 4) has been making potions in the bathroom, garden, kitchen since year 3. This was triggered by a sudden interest in science. Could this be the same with your DS?

Re his name, is he supposed to be creating a 'tattoo? Or his own graffiti?

One of the common comments that is made when people post about their child misbehaving in school is 'Are they stretching him? Is he bored and playing up?'
Sounds as if your son is interested in experimenting with stuff, something that hundreds of boys his age do.
So you need to give him opportunities to channel his bored messing about into more constructive channels.

Oh sorry, I was thinking blutak, not pritt-stick. Yes I can see that pritt sticking a blind is a bit more annoying. I wouldn't hold back in telling him how naughty he has been and make him help you clean it up.

I don't think the potion making sounds that unusual really - just normal child curiosity.

And I once scratched my cat's name into the paintwork on my window sill when I was a child and then denied it had been me even though it was obvious. Children do things without thinking of the consequences and it sounds like your son was working on the idea that you had done the same as a child.

Maybe he is into science and experimentation? Maybe this could be encouraged with some of those Horrible Science kits?

I agree Goblinchild. How about a Weird Science kit? Then he can use his own stuff and leave your expensive 'kit' alone .

Oops, crossed posts DG.

Yes i don't think the pritt stick incident was deliberately to annoy you - maybe access to pritt stick could be at the kitchen table in the evening with paints, toilet rolls etc, he helps you clear up after dinner and then you help him collect together some materials to stick together to create things - you can set him projects, to draw his design and make it?

I went through a phase of making masks - i was really into it! Also once i used my mum's stamp collection (i thought they were stickers) to decorate my wardrobe. 2 ruined items, i was told off but i was really upset because i DID not know what i had done.

I had one like this. IME you have to be really tough on anything that is distructive, particularly of anyone else's property. You also, though, have to provide things to do to feed his imagination, wear him out and satisfy his creativity.

Once my ds's energy was channelled into lots of different activities - particularly making and building stuff in the garden, things did get better.

You will never cure him.....I still have the scorch marks on one floor from a mistimed explosive experiment....

However, he is a genius at maths physics and chemistry and will be off to university to study all of these things next year. So take heart.

Dd went through a phase of making potions, she also likes taking things apart and trying to put them back together. I am really firm about being destructive but we have also tried to stimuate this interest with lots of baking, science kits, making clothes etc.

Popysccal - sorry, I think you seem to be a little bit confused as you have written about my DS1.

He is 8 and has been obsessed with experiments for the past 5 years.

The biggest thing that helped was going with the flow and accepting the madness. Then I had a sit down with him and told him my expensive lotions were out of bounds but I ahd bought cheapo stuff (Asda value brands) for his experiments. He was delighted.

We have also got him the Weird Science stuff, A soap making kit, a wormery, lots of baking, gluing and painting. He is also incharge of the compost heap in the garden.

My mum pointed out he was just like my big bro. He studied Chemical Engineering at Uni.

I agree with everyone else. I used to do this as a child and my sister did too. We were just left to it (with the cheap stuff) and a blind eye was turned to the fact that we used to make 'cakes' every time the adults went out (aah - those were the days... left in the house at 7 and 5 years old).