Child Behavior Issues

[daniyal]

The wife and I noticed a similar change in our elder son he's 3 so still quite young but we seem to have narrowed it down to two issues exhaustion and hunger. He simply doesn't know when he's hungry or exhausted. We constantly ask him if wants to eat anything which is met with a swift no however this adds up to the point where he has a meltdown because he's hungry and just doesn't know it or want to admit it. Force him to eat something and he's a different person. Same thing when he's exhausted or hasn't had enough sleep.


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[HIM*]

Im going to echo the sentiment about food/energy and add proper hydration. Those 3 things should always be at the top of the list for everyone IMO. Im a grown man and Im still irritable as hell if one of the 3 is off its just your bodies way of speaking to you, probably elevated cortisol levels. I used to have a hard time with my daughter at that age, particularly when she moved out of the napping phase but she grew out of it.
Try giving him a little bit of juice for a quick boost to his blood sugar and see if it helps. Its quick, easy, and if its works you might have found the answer. I would still entertain other options but as a human you can't get away from those 3 in any case.

 

[MaytagMan]

My ex and I have had similar issues with our son, who just turned 5 in this past Feb, though not as bad as yours. We are on great terms, and she is a great mom to him, but she was a little softer on him and would tell me about how he talked back and such to her. He very rarely does that for me. I am much more structured and strict (in a loving way).

We have a routine for pretty much everything that we follow, and it is to the point that he won't even skip a step.
If he does something out of line, it is a one-and-done policy here. Talk to him and warn him once, then it is time out. This includes him saying no to me or not doing something when I tell him to. After his timeout, I get him to tell me why he was there. If you let a kid win even the smallest of battles, they will remember and exploit that - not in an evil way, but they will try to get one over on you. His mom is starting to realize that and is trying to tighten up. It is just harder to get tougher on the kids... it will be a battle until they get the new system down, but my key words are fair, consistent, firm, and loving.

At school, any misbehavior issues he had were because he was bored and not being challenged. He is at a new pre-school this year and is thriving.

You are definitely going in the right direction with the professional consult.

Best of luck!

 

[Ducttapegonewild]

With all of the great information provided by these most excellent of Fathers, and Jake, remember, what may work for one child may not work for another. I have two boys, 12 and 6, that have or had behavioral issues. The oldest, you could take everything away from him except his name and he would still be as stubborn as a mule. If he doesn't want to do something, he won't. That includes eating. He too would rather starve than eat something he doesn't like, it's a constant battle. Sometimes his mother and I win, sometimes we lose. The youngest, on the other hand, when he has any behavior related problems, his mother simply tells him the he's breaking her heart and there is an immediate change.

What I'm saying is, besides the fact that Jake is closer to having behavior issues then having to deal with a child's behavior issue, you will need to experiment with stuff, find what works. In addition, you're not a bad parent, and he is not a bad boy. Two things you need to remember.

I wish you luck brother, it's a tough road ahead of you, but, it is so worth the rewards.

 

[memphsdad]

With all of the great information provided by these most excellent of Fathers, and Jake, remember, what may work for one child may not work for another. I have two boys, 12 and 6, that have or had behavioral issues. The oldest, you could take everything away from him except his name and he would still be as stubborn as a mule. If he doesn't want to do something, he won't. That includes eating. He too would rather starve than eat something he doesn't like, it's a constant battle. Sometimes his mother and I win, sometimes we lose. The youngest, on the other hand, when he has any behavior related problems, his mother simply tells him the he's breaking her heart and there is an immediate change.

What I'm saying is, besides the fact that Jake is closer to having behavior issues then having to deal with a child's behavior issue, you will need to experiment with stuff, find what works. In addition, you're not a bad parent, and he is not a bad boy. Two things you need to remember.

I wish you luck brother, it's a tough road ahead of you, but, it is so worth the rewards.

Thanks for the kind words, Matt