moody 3 year old

[shambhala]

do kids wake up on the wrong side of bed? my ds seems to once a week or so & i am not sure how to handle the resulting behaviour. usually we can work out conflicts, but on days like today it seems as if he is on another planet. today was a day of not listening, obviously ignoring my requests, routine etc. & then at the grocery store he kept poking his sleeping brother ( he was sitting in the cart & i was carrying his brother while pushing the cart so there was no way to move away from him) & yelling, which is unusual for him. he eventually woke his brother up & i could not think of a logical consequence. i find these days really zap me & it is SOOO hard not to get into a power struggle with him.

suggestions would be lovely!
claudia

[mommatotwo]

YES, my 3 year old wakes up on the wrong side of the bed every once in a while. He is usually better after a nap, but until then can be a terror. Those days zap me, too!

[Llyra]

Oh my yes, they do have days like that, and especially when they're 3. I remember talking to another woman I know when DD1 was 3, saying that sometimes I wondered if maybe DD had emotional problems or something, and she gently pointed out that 3 year olds are often just discontented and unhappy. I started watching other kids more carefully, and it really is true. It's a difficult age.

The best suggestions I have for dealing with are to protect their sleep as much as possible-- make sure they're not running short on sleep, even if you have to cancel plans to do so. Watch snack and meal times-- a cranky child is often one who's gone too long without a drink or snack. And set aside plenty of time for active play, especially outdoors-- lots of fresh air and exercise will even out bad moods a lot.

And give it time. My DD1 is almost 5 now, and she's so much more easygoing and pleasant to be around now.