Hi everyone! I'm here because I have a beautiful and intelligent three-year-old son who has always been very angry. Since his birth he has always been very intense. He cried for HOURS, screamed if he went outside for any reason. As he got older, things got more difficult. He has extreme temper tantrums over everything.
Until just recently he would slam his head on the floor whenever he was angry--hard enough to leave several dark bruises. He has never slept through the night. He does not nap and has refused to do so for over a year. He usually starts his day at around 4:30 in the morning (bedtime is 7:00)...long before I'm ready to get up! LOL.
Everything still goes in his mouth. It drives me crazy because I'm always afraid he'll choke (it's happened more than once--I'm not an expert at the Heimlich maneuver).
The worst part is that he is always so darn angry. It's not at all unusual for him to have five or six tantrums before the first hour of the day has passed. This morning I asked him, "Why do you always want to fight with me?" He shouted back, "I like to fight!" Often when we try to calm him, he covers his eyes and shouts, "Don't talk to me!"
He is so obviously unhappy and it's breaking my heart. I did have him evaluated by an early childhood intervention group a little before his third birthday, but they really didn't offer me much help. They pretty much said, "Well, yeah, he does seem to have some behavioral stuff going on. . . but isn't he just charming?" Well, yes, he can be charming...he's a sweet little guy with an inability to deal with rules, authority, or denial.
Is there anyone out there who's been through this that has any idea how to handle things? I'm just getting so darned burned out.
Until just recently he would slam his head on the floor whenever he was angry--hard enough to leave several dark bruises. He has never slept through the night. He does not nap and has refused to do so for over a year. He usually starts his day at around 4:30 in the morning (bedtime is 7:00)...long before I'm ready to get up! LOL.
Everything still goes in his mouth. It drives me crazy because I'm always afraid he'll choke (it's happened more than once--I'm not an expert at the Heimlich maneuver).
The worst part is that he is always so darn angry. It's not at all unusual for him to have five or six tantrums before the first hour of the day has passed. This morning I asked him, "Why do you always want to fight with me?" He shouted back, "I like to fight!" Often when we try to calm him, he covers his eyes and shouts, "Don't talk to me!"
He is so obviously unhappy and it's breaking my heart. I did have him evaluated by an early childhood intervention group a little before his third birthday, but they really didn't offer me much help. They pretty much said, "Well, yeah, he does seem to have some behavioral stuff going on. . . but isn't he just charming?" Well, yes, he can be charming...he's a sweet little guy with an inability to deal with rules, authority, or denial.
Is there anyone out there who's been through this that has any idea how to handle things? I'm just getting so darned burned out.