Need help with my 3yo old!!

[simplygreen]

Help mamas what is happening to my son? Lately he has been so angry he walks around the house yelling at things, talking in a dark voice; he is constantly trying to power struggle, has no motivation to do much of anything. He started Preschool 3 wks ago , he seems to like it, I have been sick that past wk and half with the flu so we have been watching a lot of movies (we ususally are a no TV household) The baby has also been sick, So i know my attention has been divided but 2 day he had a angry screaming meltdown where I had to hold him in my arms for 10min before he finally calmed down. At times he talks, and dosen;t make sense at all, like he's on another planet or something? He does sleeps about 12hrs at nite but has pretty much given up naps. I don't know what is going on much less what to do about it?? Anyone have any insight? it pains me to see my son in such turmoil, please help!!

[BarnMomma]

I just posted a similar question in the parenting section. People seem to think 3 is just hard.

[Holiztic]

Well, there are a lot things going on in your house, so your son's 'turmoil' does not seem unexplained at all. 1) Started preschool 2) Everyone is sick (which means he likely is, too, to some degree, even if you don't see it 3) he's gone from no TV to lots of it.

Each one of those changes is plenty to set a 3 year old off, but all together--especially at the change of season.

So what do you do? Well, extra sleep (even over the 12 hours) might help. We've been putting 3.5 year old DS down 45 minutes early the last few days due to behavior changes (season change, pre-illness). I have also been giving him some Ayurvedic treatments/herbs for season change issues (they're specific to my DS' constitution, so I won't recommend anything specific, but learning about Ayurveda has helped us with this kind of thing soooo much!)

As far as the movies--I can't imagine being sick, having a sick baby, and dealing with a 3 year old that is acting out/off--but if there is any way you all can minimize the screen time and re-set your normal rhythm, I think that would help him greatly.

I know how hard it is to watch our sweet little kids turn into these angry, poorly behaved kids. But really, I have learned with my DS (who can go from the calmest and sweetest boy for months to a monster overnight) that it is usually their little systems that are off. Perfect Health for Kids by John Douillard has a great discussion of the early signs of illness (I don't just mean a runny nose, it can be way before that; behavior, along with elimination issues--under-eye bags, irregular bowels, etc--is likely the first sign that they are "off") Luckily that book gives tons of lifestyle, nutrition, and herbal recommendations for preventing this kind of disequilibrium.

Hugs and good luck--this too shall pass!