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Originally Posted by FH-Lorraine123
YES!!! Everyone goes through a honeymoom period. Even other children you have at home. Think of it like this - if you have visitors in your home for an extended time, you are pleasant and hospitable at first even when you don't feel like it. After a while this gets old and you get grumpy. Its normal.
I agree with Tybeemarie. Its very likely that the child is doing this on purpose. This is for a couple of reasons: One, the child may be used to and more comfortable in an environment where the adults are angry and they may be trying to re-create that chaos. Second, the child may be feeling comfortable in your home and the comfort is scary to them. In their mind, they will be leaving soon and if they leave a parent who is angry it isn't quite so hard.
It could also be a control issue as opposed to him craving attention. The child may know that you want to meet all his needs and if he calls you will stop what you are doing and respond. He may be testing you or seeing how far he can get you to jump. You need to set limits. Let him know that you will give him undivided attention at a certain time, but you have other things to do in the meanwhile. It is unhealthy for a child to have that much power if indeed he has control problems.
Make him realize that you are the adult of the home. You decide when you will respond. You decide when enough is enough. The sooner you set these boundaries the better. And in time, they won't be boundaries, they will just be the way the household runs.
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I must've been writing at the same time as Lorraine, I missed this post. She's ALSO right. Your FS needs to understand that you cannot and will not come running every second he "needs" you. Austin once had a bad tamtrum because I did not come running to hear some advertisement they play no less than 40 times a day on the radio. The reason I didn't come? I was in the bathroom.
One thing that might work is to try "room time"... this is time where your kids are to play quietly in their own room, independently. You may want to start with 10 minutes and eventually work up to half an hour. They can earn a reward, like a gold star or dessert, or a small trinket from the dollar store or 10 minutes of TV time or something for completing "Room time" without calling you or getting in trouble, because there'll have to be a reason for them to WANT to do this until they're used to it. I usually schedule "room time" for when I need to make phone calls or when I'm trying to cook supper. Austin fought this concept tooth and nail in the beginning but now is okay with it. He may not like it sometimes, but he'll go at least.
We use it for 3 reasons: 1. We are losing our temper with Austin. 2. Austin is becoming overstimulated and needs to calm down. 3. We are doing something that Austin tends to start using attention-seeking behavior during (talking on the phone, talking to each other, etc)
We think it accomplishes a couple of things: 1. He is learning to play independently 2. He's learning that he can play without us and we'll still meet all his needs 3. He has a chance to calm down if he needs it... and in fact he has voluntarily sent himself to have "Room time" recently.