Hello everyone - I am a first time poster and would appreciate some advice. I have been running my home daycare for just over a year now and really love it. The only problem I have is my 3.5 year old son. He is a sweet and sensitive boy but also loves rough "boy" type of play like wrestling and play fighting which I discourage as much as possible. The real problem is that he is mean to all the daycare kids. He takes away their toys, tells them they can't play and to go away and sometimes get physical with pushing and hitting - in the latest incident he bit a 4-year-old little boy (his best friend) and left a bruise of a bite mark of the boy's leg. This little boy complains to his parents about my son a lot and also told them that it was my son who bit him. Naturally the parents are concerned about this behaviour.
I am at a loss as to how to get my son to be nicer to the other children... I have tried to be extra loving and patient with him and I have tried time-outs. I have tried talking to him - nothing seems to work. I am not only worried about the other children in my care but also that my son may be deeply frustrated with having to share his house, toys and mommy with all these kids.
What can I do to make him kinder and less violent but also to feel a little happier about having other children here?