The never ending nightmare week!

[eoinsmom]

So this awful week continues.... This morning I agreed to help one of my moms out and take her school aged 8 yr old before fora half hour before school so she can take her other son witha broken leg to the doctor for his physio. All was good until he asked his sister to" flick" him. He had been asking my son to do it first but he wisely declined so the sister flicks him but she has a thing of applesauce in her hand and a speck gets on his face. Well, he loses it and starts screaming at all three kids that they are never allowed to look at him or play with him or talk to him or talk about him ever again and stomps off a few feet away. My son and the sister, both four year old, sit in stunned silence and the two year old says "he crying.". The older kid screams at my two year old never talk about me! Like absolute screaming, which is so not OK. I tell him he can be mad but you don't scream at other kids, and that he needs to go somewhere else if he doesn't want anyone to look at him. This ticks him off and he stomps away and sat outside on my front step for the next ten minutes until it was time for him to walk to school. OMG! Is it just me or is that totally wild behavior for an eight year old? He was starting to get like this in the last year, which is why I stopped doing the before and after care for him and his brother. Really rude, and over the top reactions to other kids, me and even his parents. He once had throwing things tantrum for his dad right at the doorway just before I told the parents I was done a few months ago. So not regretting that decision. His mom was very apologetic and says he does that at home too. They just leave him alone to work it out. I could not live with that kinds of hair trigger kid.

[Spixie33]

Kids at that age can be very sensitive around their peers.
My own son is steady as a rock most of the time (he is 8) and then every once in a while...I say something and he disappears. I go looking for him and he is in his room crying and says I hurt his feelings or was rude to him when I don't even realize anything bad was said/done. It makes me feel awful for him but it really seems that kids can just be very sensitive.
I think it is pre-puberty or emotions getting the best of them.
I also heard it was a full moon this week. lol

[momofnerds]

I had one like this too, this is why I don't watch school agers anymore so not worth it.

[mlle.coccinelle]

Is it really full moon this week? It would explane ALOT!

[Momof4]

Eeeek, this is why I'm glad my cutoff for daycare is JK! Sorry about your bad week Eoinsmom, tomorrow is a big TGIF!

[eoinsmom]

This has just eaten at me all day, I haven't had these boys for about a month now since I told the parents I couldn't keep doing b/a school or full time over the summer for them. Reason being - it messes with my schedule and they just weren't meshing with the group of all under 4 year olds I have right now. It bugs me that I had to even say anything to him about this behaviour, especially bring out my (laughably) stern voice. I rarely have to with the kids, they are all so mellow and nicely behaved. I just don't know what is 'normal' to expect from kids once they hit school age I kept thinking, was I too mean? Should I have been 'softer' in my approach? But then I got thinking back over the past year, and remembering why I let them go in the first place - I could not handle the attitude from this kid. He was the one who was always complaining - no good food, nothing to do, too many babies around, buy better things, you need to buy a Wii, I'm so bored, I hate it here....he would frequently call the other kids names or make fun of them ('poopy head' or 'you loser' kind of name calling), he once told me husband 'get out of here' when he went downstairs to play with our son....just rude. And of course all the three and four year olds just idolize him. Just a few months ago he screamed and threw his boot at his dad at pick up time because he wasn't finished his activity and his dad had shown up to pick up the kids (to which Dad just sighed loudly). Is this kind of attitude - name calling, complaining, tantrum throwing - just what happens when kids hit the grade 1/2 mark? I sure hope not, my own son is starting Kindergarten this year!

[mom-in-alberta]

This thread is a little old.... but I had to chime in here!!
As the mom of boys aged 11 (12 in the summer) and 9; NO this is not "the usual" for kids that age. This is a spoiled brat who has so far been allowed to do/say/scream whatever and whenever he wants to.
Be very glad that he is gone, and not your challenge anymore.

[sunnydays]

Wow eoinsmom, no! I have a teenager as well as two little ones and I will reassure you that this is not normal! This is a case of parents allowing the child to be rude and badly behaved. Even at the age of 1 or 2, I would absolutely not tolerate this kind of behaviour let alone at his age! This is why parents have to be firm from day one and not allow kids to act rudely. My teenager would never dream of talking back rudely to us. It has been instilled in him from day one. Some people think rudeness is just normal for teenagers (or schoolagers for that matter). I totally disagree! It is very possible to raise a child who is polite and respectful.

[eoinsmom]

Just checked back in on this one, and I am glad for the comments Mominalberta and sunnydays! IMO he does get away with alot, and his younger sister does too ("she's just like xx" is the comment I hear often), but she has been with me long enough now that she knows that doesn't fly at my house. For example, yesterday my son was talking to her and she starting imitating him in a screechy voice and making a face at him instead of answering his question to her; which upset him understandably. I reminded her that this is rude (I think it is, anyway), and she said, yeah, and stopped. I despise rude kids, and am always reminding my son that its not nice to call other kids names, or say things like "loser, stupid" or call younger kids 'babies' as a put down. He is very polite and we get feedback from preschool that he is gentle and kind there too, which is nice. I just hope that it continues the older he gets!