Seeking Advice with Extra Sensitive 6 Year Old

Meltdowns at 6 years old. Does his brother have them too? If he can't play nicely and share and has meltdowns, no one will want to be around him and he will not have friends. Why should you walk around on eggshells in your own home? You need to prepare him for the experiences of the real world even if he was/is a special needs child. Remember who is the parent and who is the child? Lay down ground rules and consequences and stick to them. If you don't get it under control he will be the same as an adult an anotehr poster listed. It can be turned around by you but you have to be strong and no back sliding. Good luck to you. The other S.

I encourage you to nip this in the bud now. My husband has an extra sensitive brother and his parents didn't deal with it and now as an adult he throws tantrums to get what he wants and is not able to deal well in social situations. Continue with the early intervention and don't allow him to manipulate you or his environment that way.

Well, I can't offer to much advice as we are dealing with the similar behavior. However, I can offer maybe a sense of relief because it seems to be the age. Many friends with their own kindergarteners say they are experiencing the meltdowns over the tiniest things. I think that is is more their way of trying to gain more independence and control.

Sounds to me like he has learned to get his way quickly by doing this, so go ahead and explain we have to take turns, you'd want others to take turns with you wouldn't you? etc. and then if he continues,ignore and don't give in, or else tell him if he can't learn to share or whatever, he has to do a time out, or whateer consequences for this behavior you think appropriate, you don't want him to not have friends or people not want to be around him because of his meltdowns, I'm sure you want him to be sociable, and he can't with this. It will be hard, but you'll have to be consistant.

I have a similar problem with my 6 year old girl. She melts down constantly when she doesn't get things exactly as she wants them. I haven't really gotten to the bottom of it except that I also think it is a control thing, and also, part of it seems to be that she is worn out. She gave up naps a couple of years ago, but I think kindergarten is just exhausting. We've started to institute "rest time" regularly whenever we can, especially when she is whiny and it seems to help some. I can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say!

We have a 5 year old who will have melt downs at the babysitters house, but not at our house. She has her meltdowns when she is told no or is told do do something she doesn't want to do. It is a recent development, but we are trying to stop it before it becomes a habit. We will punish her when we pick her up from the babysitters house (straight to bed after dinner, no TV, can't swim, etc). She misbehaved 2 days in a row a couple of weeks ago, and after being punished and not getting her way she has done better. Everyday she will let us know that she was good at the babysitters house. I think his behavior is just his way of getting what he wants. He might be a sensitive child, but that doesn't mean he can get whatever he wants because nobody wants to hurt his feelings. Hurt feelings are just part of being human. You need to stop giving in to his tantrums. Explain why he has to do something and if that doesn't work send him to his room to be alone and cry it out.