so we were at the park today & cole refused to play nice w/ his friend so i was going to have him take a break & have a little talk..........he just screamed & cried & ran off. so i run after him with a sleeping toddler in the sling, catch him by the straps of his overalls & try to calm him. he just kept on & on & on....i finally decided since he couldnt calm down, we needed to leave.

i strapped him in his seat & journey amazingly stayed asleep! we headed home & he fell asleep. i left him in the car & he slept for 2 1/2 hours.

i wasnt at all embarrassed, but just in shock, i think, in his behavior.

is 3 1/2 a really emotional time for boys? any reading recommendations?

Going through the same thing, mama. Hoping to hear some answers myself. All I can offer is big hugs.


Chris :rub:

man...i just read 2 other tantrum threads that happened recently.....what's up w/ our kids???????????????????????????

Ya, 3 1/2 can be a hard age for some. I find they 'change' on the halves.

Could he be getting ill? When Veronica acts up in public she's either on her way to being sick.

yeah....i didnt relate it to the tantrum, but he has an ear infection. started the next day or so.....thank you!! i never would have related the two.

:hug: three is worse than two IME. and add to it an impending sickness...:hug: to you...btdt.

you know, i think i have enjoyed 3 more than 2 because of the communication....it's much better. but his personality is really developing & we both have to learn skills to harness the good & refine the not so good....

you know, i think i have enjoyed 3 more than 2 because of the communication....it's much better. but his personality is really developing & we both have to learn skills to harness the good & refine the not so good....

i think you described 3 very, very well. it has it's own challenges but being able to communicate certainly helps :hug:

I know in this case, illness was probably the culprit, but I know for my 3-year-old, he's much more sensitive to tiredness and hunger than he's ever been. I can almost depend on him falling apart over small things if I haven't fed him recently or he didn't sleep well the night before. Is that common in people's experience?

Absolutely, Stacy. Veronica is so easy to read. You can tell when her blood sugar has dropped. It's freaky especially since she's become so picky about what she will eat.

Last few months, my daughter's become impossible. As soon as she turned 3. . .

Her fave trick is to leave while I'm breastfeeding the baby. . . Preferably with a shirt and panties. No pants, or shoes. In WINTER! Makes me look like such a great mom! Lucky we live on a large farm with family, so I don't have to worry about her getting in trouble or lost.

And she's destructive now. . . I *know* it's exploration, but I'm tired of her tearing important papers, ruining my crochet, cutting things (with my GOOD sewing scissors!!), leaving food out of the fridge. . . And I have a devil of a time fixing things with a little baby hanging offa me (he things if he doesn't have a nip in his mouth then he's being neglected!).

Huh. . I just had a tantrum. . .sorry for the threadjack. . .

:hug: i'm sure that day is in my near future. savannah has had two meltdowns like that at home this week...it was related directly to her being TIRED! the kind of tired that they go and go and go but don't realize they are tired until it's too late.

Huh. . I just had a tantrum. . .sorry for the threadjack. . .

no problem:happy: we all need to let it out sometimes!

cole's ears (yup...both ended up infected) are almost all better on just abx ear drops & my happy boy is back......with the usual 3 year old stuff, not the extreme major melt down about any & every thing 3 year old stuff;)

:hug: i'm sure that day is in my near future. savannah has had two meltdowns like that at home this week...it was related directly to her being TIRED! the kind of tired that they go and go and go but don't realize they are tired until it's too late.

oh, yeah....we all get a turn w/ public tantrums, right??? let us know when you get yours:p