Attitude - Kalamazoo,MI

The good news is that as he gets a little older... a little of the discipline duties get to be shared... especially if you get him into a pre-school. Don't be afraid of that. My 5 year old developed lots of those same traits you're concerned about... but he still has lots of the sweet cuddly moments too. Nurture and reward those. Praise goes a long way.

When you do get ready to consider a preschool for your son... consider the Comstock Co-op preschool. www.comstockpreschool.com

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Hi T.,
I have a three year old also. I am in the same boat as you. I was so excited because he never went through the terrible twos that I heard so much about. Now it is so bad. He back talks and is so stubborn. I am staying consistant with him. Sometimes I am so exhausted (I also have a 15 month old) I want to slack with his disipline but I don't. If he doesn't get away with things then I hope this phase will pass. I also try and make sure that he always has things to do. I find that if he gets bored he is worse. It was great that we were able to go outside and play. That really helped. Anyway, I think I am babbling now. Good luck and know you aren't alone.
Chris

I have three boys, twin who will be 5 next month and a 16month old. It does get better. The attitude came along at age 4 with the twins. I find that time in the corner works best. It gives them a chance to chill and me a breather so I don't over react. It will get better. The more I teach them to do for themselves the better it gets. One of them is very stubborn and thinks he's grown already. I just put it into prospective for him. For example the other night he told me "no, I don't have to!" when I told him to do something. I looked at him sternly and said " If you think you are so grown that you don't have to do what I say then tomorrow morning you go out and get a job, do your own laundry, tuck yourself into bed." that ended it right there. Each child is different the best advice would be to try and figure out what it is that they want to do without you and teach them how.

As a parent you have catered to his needs for so long (because he was dependent upon you) that he now thinks he has the control. It sounds as though he is gaining a bit of independence and with that comes the testing of his boundaries. Stay firm and make sure he knows what is acceptable behavior and what is not. This too, shall pass. Good luck!