4 yo boy & rude/sassy attitude

[BeccaSueCongdon]

For the last month or some my son has turned into this crazy diva of a kid. He's always been spunky. But the last month or so he's gotten into expressing himself by being SUPER rude. Yelling, a harsh tone of voice, back talking.

It's driving me bat-****-crazy!!!

My approach so far has been to give him one chance to say what he needs to say in a respectful/calm voice. If he refuses to try that then he has a timeout. If he refuses the timeout I place him in his bed for a longer rest/timeout.

Anyone else have a kid who is rude like this? What do you do to handle it?

[jeffsgurl86]

Perhaps he needs a little more "fear of Mom". :-) It can be really tough when they start to test their vocal boundaries. My son goes through short periods (sometimes a day, sometimes a few days), where he tests me. It's my least favorite part of being a mom...having to lay down the law. But, he needs to know that it is MY house and he will treat me with respect or suffer the consequences. I have too many kiddos to have insubbordination in the ranks!
Finding the appropriate consequence for your child is the most important. Every kid is different. Then telling the child BEFORE the offense (at the start of each day)what the consequences for his bad behavior will be. It will let him know what's expected of him and will help you keep your cool in the moment. Then sometimes when he starts to act out, you may only need to REMIND him of the punishment that is in store if he continues with his attitude. Sorry this got long and hope it helps. Good luck momma and hang in there! :-)

[BeccaSueCongdon]

Originally Posted by jeffsgurl86 Perhaps he needs a little more "fear of Mom". :-) It can be really tough when they start to test their vocal boundaries. My son goes through short periods (sometimes a day, sometimes a few days), where he tests me. It's my least favorite part of being a mom...having to lay down the law. But, he needs to know that it is MY house and he will treat me with respect or suffer the consequences. I have too many kiddos to have insubbordination in the ranks! Finding the appropriate consequence for your child is the most important. Every kid is different. Then telling the child BEFORE the offense (at the start of each day)what the consequences for his bad behavior will be. It will let him know what's expected of him and will help you keep your cool in the moment. Then sometimes when he starts to act out, you may only need to REMIND him of the punishment that is in store if he continues with his attitude. Sorry this got long and hope it helps. Good luck momma and hang in there! :-)

Good points. My consequence for that behavior has been a timeout. He hates timeouts. And if he doesn't willingly walk to the timeout spot I lace him in his room. For his timeouts he knows the expectation is that he sit quietly and then afterwards we talk about it again and I remind him of the rules and consequences.

I think I feel pretty good about the plan we have set up right now. It's just so draining!! Lol. The hard part is remembering not to take it personally. And reminding myself that the hard work will pay off.