HELP!! How do I get my 4 yr old to stop being so rough???

[simplygreen]

My sweet DS is 4 yrs old a rough kid he loves to wrestle, pillow fight...he is just big into rough physical play.  We wrestle and pillow fight with him often, usually takes awhile to wear him out. But he wants to be rough with eveyone all the time. My in laws were over and out of the blue he jumped on my MIL and hurt he neck, and he just get aggressive trying to start some physical play.  I try to rederict him but he thinks its funny, its a game, Its not until I have to haul him in the other room and get mad the he get grounded enough to snap out , some times this is a battle that will go one for 5 plus min. I;m not sure if he even hear that its not the time to wrestle, that you have to ask first if someone wants to play rough. I feel like I say it all the time around the grandparents. Both sets of grandparents, keep getting hurt... and though my dad wrestles with him, the set of grandparents are not physcally able too. We have tried re-direct, reading books, games etc. but once he has in his head he wants to get rough, I can't get him to control himself. How on earth do I get him to stop, he thinks its funny. Please Help!

[thedenverduo]

Hugs mama!

Have you tried giving him some venting time before grandparents come over?  Like say "we are going to have some rough and tumble time before lunch, and then after lunch grandpa and grandma are coming so we will have some calm and gentle time." And then have some really rough and tumble run around and be loud time.  Then give him a choice when grandparents are there, either join you calmly or go play in his room.  Or spend time with grandparents gently or run around outside.

I was a really physical kid and my mom says that those blow up punching bags saved her life. You know the ones that are weighted at the bottom so they keep popping up for you to knock down?  She would say "I don't want to wrestle right now. You can help me cook calmly or you can go play with your punching bag."

[Fuzzy Bee]

What about discussing expectations before grandparents come over? What about grandparents also telling him these expectations?

I think putting him in his room is a good solution for after the fact. Tell him "Remember what we talked about."

Try that first. Some extreme measures to take would be for the grandparents to leave and then stop visiting for a while. How do you think he would react to this?