My eldest DS is 4 1/2. Three weeks ago a) I returned to work full time after our summer break b) He switched preschools c) He stopped taking an afternoon nap. This would be alot for any 4 year old, no? He happens to be incredibly intense, which had us prepared for a difficult transition. On the surface, however, the transition seemed to go well - until this week. Now, when we get home, he is displaying some of the most disturbing behaviour I have seen - even more easily frustrated than usual, physically agressive with me, and verbally aggressive with me. I've found this very trying, and his behaviour is really creating alot of tension in the household.
On Thursday night we went to the meet-the-teacher at his preschool, and I came away from that feeling as though I had a better handle on what was causing the behaviour. He has adjusted well socially and has had no behaviour issues at the preschool. However, all of the teachers commented on how intense he is, and how he holds himself to such high standards (he started to cry this week because he is still struggling with creating perfect "w"s). So my theory is that all of the stress and frustration he feels during the day, he holds in because he knows it's not acceptable to "lose it" at school. Then, when he gets home, the first thing to set him off causes a massive eruption. Couple that with the physical and emotional fatigue he's feeling, and he's a pretty unhappy boy by 5:00.
So what I need are some suggestions of practices to help him release the stress and anxiety in an appropriate manner. Any recommended reading? Any BTDT advice?
I feel as though I've really let him down by not being prepared for this and not doing a better job guiding him through. . . so I really want to get to work on changing things right away.
On Thursday night we went to the meet-the-teacher at his preschool, and I came away from that feeling as though I had a better handle on what was causing the behaviour. He has adjusted well socially and has had no behaviour issues at the preschool. However, all of the teachers commented on how intense he is, and how he holds himself to such high standards (he started to cry this week because he is still struggling with creating perfect "w"s). So my theory is that all of the stress and frustration he feels during the day, he holds in because he knows it's not acceptable to "lose it" at school. Then, when he gets home, the first thing to set him off causes a massive eruption. Couple that with the physical and emotional fatigue he's feeling, and he's a pretty unhappy boy by 5:00.
So what I need are some suggestions of practices to help him release the stress and anxiety in an appropriate manner. Any recommended reading? Any BTDT advice?
I feel as though I've really let him down by not being prepared for this and not doing a better job guiding him through. . . so I really want to get to work on changing things right away.
