Are five year olds "Sunny and Serene?"

[RubyWild]

Louise Bates Ames has these books for every year, including:
Your Four Year Old: Wild and Wonderful
Your Five Year Old: Sunny and Serene
Your Six Year Old: Loving and Defiant

In previous years, I've found these books somewhat helpful in understanding my Dd. Now that she's five, she seems to have skipped the "Sunny and Serene" and gone straight into Six Year Old behavior. Ames describes five year olds as wanting to please their parents. Mine is really testing boundaries, which I know kids are supposed to do, but what happened to "Sunny and Serene?" Is/was your five year old sunny and serene?

[midwifetx]

My first three were, but I'm not countin on #4 following any kind of pattern of 'norms' as she hasn't yet.

[Kundalini-Mama]

I'm hoping!! I'm doing the wild and wonderful and have put all of my $ on that 'things will be easier when he is 5', thanks to Louise Bates Ames. I'd like a lil' break, to be honest

[Heather30ish]

DH and I were just asking ourselves this question!
We've got a "wild and wonderful" almost-5 ourselves and are hoping for some "sunny and serene" in the near future!

[Village Mama]

I don't know! It seems as though we are a year ahead over here too.... sunny and serene?!!!! There is such a thing?!

[sunnmama]

My dd was the closest to sunny and serene from about 4.5-5.5. It is all relative, of course.....and I don't think her personality with *ever* be serene. These days (5.5), she is definitely more loving and defiant!

[onlyzombiecat]

No sunny and/or serene here.

[eminer]

Those books never seem to describe my kids at all. (Though I'd love it if they started to when dd1 turns 5!) The one thing that does fit is the idea that kids swing between stable and dynamic phases about every year: that is, for about one half of every year, you're in for it.

[oceanbaby]

Ds1 is often sunny but the serene part has yet to be seen!

[Threefold]

Foof, we're stuck somewhere inbetween 4 and 6 "wild" and "defiant".

[chel]

5 was a great year for dd. I would even say the best so far. So much, Dh and I are wanting another one. I don't think dd will ever be called "serene" but yes it was a very "sunny" year.

[Tyandmacsmom]

Both of my children have both been "ahead", but I have to say, Tylers best year was the 4's. He's almost 5.5 now, but has the attitude of an 8-9 year old. Seriously. Not fun when he is tired.
And DD...she will be 3 Sept. 30. Whenever someone asks her how old she is going to be, she says, "6". lol. Her aunt says shes 2 going on 13. What a couple of characters.

[kdmama33]

Not exactly the words I'd use to describe my five year old, no.

[nicole lisa]

Originally Posted by kdmama33

Not exactly the words I'd use to describe my five year old, no.

Yeah, I've found (and we're just leaving 5 in a month) DS to be really emotional this year. A lot of drama over small things and we can't figure it out - as a family we're very stable and fun etc. But 5 has been a weepy year.

[RubyWild]

Yeah, so I posted this because my Dd fits the "loving and defiant" stage so much more. For the first time in her life, she has tantrums when dicussing what we're going to do. If I suggest something she doesn't like, she starts crying, jumping up and down in one place and then falling to the floor kicking. I'm left standing there going, "Um, but you haven't heard the other suggestions, yet."

I heard about this for 3 years old, but she never did it then, nor at 4. I would say that late 4 was serene (lasting about 3 months) but now she's into saying "no" for the first time in her life and just sticking to it. Sometimes she needs an alternative that will help her "save face" so she can back off of a definite no that she's put out there.

I mean, it's all normal stuff and a good testing of boundaries, etc, but just not the "sunny and serene" I was settling into.

[nicole lisa]

Originally Posted by RubyWild

I'm left standing there going, "Um, but you haven't heard the other suggestions, yet."

This has been 5 for us.

I'm hoping six includes something sunny and serene.

[zinemama]

Wanting to please their parents? Sunny and serene?

BWAAHAAHAAAAA!

[Thalia the Muse]

My five year old is pretty sunny and likes to please her parents. Well, sometimes. But she's always been fairly cheerful and even-keeled, it's just her personality. She has definitely gotten more focused on helping in the last couple of months, and she will actually clean up once in a while when asked, without fussing too much! I never thought I'd see that one!

That doesn't mean we also don't have whining and sulking and fits of the "gimme, gimmes" though. And Nicole, just like your five year old, she's suddenly gotten much more tearful. She was never a big crier, so it's startling to see her suddenly bursting into tears over little stuff these days. And she used to love "scary" stuff, and now she's much more fearful -- certain books have to be removed from her room at night, etc.