Omg my 4 yo

My son is 4 and he has been a butt today! Literally 0% of what I said to him was listened to. Every time I had to tell him to stop doing something he ignored me until I yelled. My throat hurts! I finally just got fed up with it and spanked him. I feel bad about it but he needs to freaking listen! He won't leave his brother alone, he runs off when we're in public (or heck, if I open the front door for anything), he throws stuff in the house, messes with stuff he knows he's not supposed to mess with and just will not listen!

Please tell me this is normal for a 4 year old! Everyone is telling me "Don't yell, if he doesn't listen the first time just swat his butt." I don't want to swat him, that's why I practically beg him to behave and resort to yelling!

Sounds like my 3 y/o. She is beyond a nightmare most the time.

Quoting Mrs. God of Thunder:" Sounds like my 3 y/o. She is beyond a nightmare most the time."

Seriously if I had waited until now to get pregnant with my second child, I wouldn't have. But instead I have him plus I'm pregnant, haha.

Yea my 4 yr old was a freakin model child till a few months ago. Then. She did a 180. She don't listen to a word I say. She's always in time. Out lol

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" Seriously if I had waited until now to get pregnant with my second child, I wouldn't have. But instead I have him plus I'm pregnant, haha."

Haha.. I actually told my husband the other day, that had she been born first and been this way, we probably would have bypassed all other spawn. She's a firecracker.

Quoting Mrs. God of Thunder:" Haha.. I actually told my husband the other day, that had she been born first and been this way, we probably would have bypassed all other spawn. She's a firecracker."

Glad I'm not alone, all the parents on my facebook act like their kids are perfect.

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" Glad I'm not alone, all the parents on my facebook act like their kids are perfect."

Riiiiiiiiight. In a perfect marshmallow world.  

Quoting Mrs. God of Thunder:" Riiiiiiiiight. In a perfect marshmallow world.  "

I feel like this picture:

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" My son is 4 and he has been a butt today! Literally 0% of what I said to him was listened to. Every time ... [snip!] ... the first time just swat his butt." I don't want to swat him, that's why I practically beg him to behave and resort to yelling!"

I had similar problems with my kids. But I found out what worked. You have to stop yelling, you have to be calm. It is really really hard at first, but once you get in the pattern it eases up a bit. He is acting out because you are acting out. He doesn't understand why it is okay for you to do, but not okay for them. Seriously it works. Keagan was HORRIBLE and I was yelling and spanking and couldn't handle it anymore. I finally couldn't do it anymore and I stopped and took a long hard look at how I was parenting and decided to change. I didn't see a change in him for awhile. But it started and has gotten SOOO much better.

Just get on his level, talk to him and you HAVE to be consistent.

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" I feel like this picture: "

I TOTALLY agree with that.

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" Glad I'm not alone, all the parents on my facebook act like their kids are perfect."

Gah I feel you on that!!! I have friends that post SOO much crap about how their kids are so perfect, makes me want to bitch slap them through the screen. Especially when I have first handily seen their kids beat up my kids.

Quoting Party of FIVE!:" I had similar problems with my kids. But I found out what worked. You have to stop yelling, you have ... [snip!] ... for awhile. But it started and has gotten SOOO much better. Just get on his level, talk to him and you HAVE to be consistent."

I'm sure a big part the issue is pregnancy hormones. I mean today, I did the dishes. That's it. The rest of the day was spent trying to get the kids to behave and a trip to the store for dish soap because Corbin stole mine and took it outside and dumped it all. Sigh.
So what do you do? Just time outs or what?

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" I'm sure a big part the issue is pregnancy hormones. I mean today, I did the dishes. That's it. The ... [snip!] ... for dish soap because Corbin stole mine and took it outside and dumped it all. Sigh. So what do you do? Just time outs or what?"

Yeah I do time outs, some days it seems they stay there ALL day long. But I don't even give them warnings anymore. The second they act out they are in time out. If they cry and are acting out in time out they get time added on. They have to walk them self to time out too or more time gets added. It has helped sooo much. I also get down face to face and explain why they are there and what they could have done better. I do that the second they are in time out so they don't forget.

Quoting Party of FIVE!:" Yeah I do time outs, some days it seems they stay there ALL day long. But I don't even give them warnings ... [snip!] ... why they are there and what they could have done better. I do that the second they are in time out so they don't forget."

I need to start doing this. It sucks because I am in pain 24/7 with arthritis and SPD. I move soooo slow some days and other days I can't even get up.  

Quoting Punk Rock Princess {EBFT}:" I need to start doing this. It sucks because I am in pain 24/7 with arthritis and SPD. I move soooo slow some days and other days I can't even get up.  "

  I know how you feel, I was like that with my pregnancy from Reid. They are probably feeding of you and knowing something is changing. It sucks.

If you are laying down on the couch just have the time out spot right next to you, just get a timer. My time out spot is the corner in our kitchen next to our stove, I set the timer on the stove so they can see the count down, I think that helps calm them knowing it will end. Consistency is the key, I always heard that but never really tried it until this year. And when I did and I was strict about it, it made the world of a difference.

I hope they ease up on you!!! Hard pregnancies and kids is the worst.