DS said he wants to run away from home

[JoannaLewis]

DS is 4. This morning he said he wants to run away from home. He often says things like he doesn't like me anymore. But that's when I'm trying to get him to eat his dinner, or brush his teeth. I'm wondering if he has actually started hating being with me?

No they're just testing boundaries and say that because they can't get their head around the concept of "I love you but I hate that you make me do things I don't want to that I don't agree with"

I hope you went and grabbed a suitcase and asked him Which pyjamas he wanted to take? I find it concentrates their minds.

at Alouiseg I've done the same same thing and it works a treat!

The first time they threaten to run away is practically a right of passage. I got as far as putting my toothbrush, flannel and pyjamas in a carrier bag and hiding them under a bush in the front garden. My mother was amused, but less so when the neighbours came round to complain that I'd invited all the children in the road along on the trip.

very normal

don't cry: start making sandwiches

if only we could let them nowadays: we used to be able to get to the end of the road before we would leg it home

My DS (3) says he doesn't love me often. I agree with cargirl about this.

They do it for the reaction. I'm going to remember to make sandwiches when it's my turn!

I remember 'running away' with my little brother. I think I was 6 and he was 4.

We packed a suitcase (it was a tiny one) and got up when we woke up - very early. We sneaked out of the house amid much smothered giggling and awe-filled looks at each other, and walked down the road and round the corner. At which point we sat down on the bench, looked at each other again, and almost wordlessly got up, turned round and went back home.

We were going to join the circus.

Neither of us would have managed to get anything like that far on our own.

I ran away about that age, packed my toys, but knew I wasn't allowed to cross the road, made it 3/4 way round the block when the florist saw me and rang my mum who suddenly appeared in her car. What a grass.

I had a wonderful plan for running away when I was about 9 or 10: I was going to walk all the way from central Sweden and down to Spain where I would support myself in some unspecified manner and have lots of adventures. My route took in the then Communist Baltic states as I did not think I would be able to swim the Sound between Sweden and Denmark. Thinking about it, my chances of swimming the Sound would have been far greater than getting through the Finnish taiga, let alone crossing the border of a Communist state. And I never made it as far as to the nearest village.

I was a very loved child in a very happy home. But wanting independence is a normal part of growing up.

i told ds (17) to sort his shit out or i might chuck him out ( i said it more tastefully)

so it comes full circle

So it's just a phase? I was really hurt that he felt that way. Thank you for all your advice ladies.xxx