I have 2 boys the one i am a little concerned about is 7 1/2. He is LOVELY and funny, we live in Mexico he is a bilingual Blondie as well a straight "A" Student ..HOWEVER, he has been acting up in the last couple of months! He is disruptive in Class and has a bit of an attitude.. the only thing that has changed in our life is that i now work from Home and have more time with my boys! We have always had a wonderful relationship, what is going on??? He says he feels like he has too much energy and a little crazy ( words of a 7 year old) i can tell you , he is really a wonderful kid and usually the envy of other parents... Not that he knows that ..so, put the pedestal away! i just dont want this behavior to get away from all of us! ANy Suggestion.. Negative Punishment doesn't seem to be working (ie; taking things away)
any ides are welcome, before it gets away from me,,,,
Thank you everyone for your advice. i think i am going to monitor him a little bit more before i run out and hire a professional, simply because he has always had such exemplary behavior and truly is just acting like a lot of the other boys in his class. I see that i just expect more from him and will continue to support him in living to his potential, with consequences and rewards. He is in Soccer and will add Basketball after the new year so we are trying to burn some energy off him. since taking his electronics away these past two weeks hasn't worked very well, i have decided to try another approach this a.m. He is a loving, kind boy so i thought to try a little love and Guilt.. i gave him back his electronic privileges and now they are his to lose, He is aware that i believe he has control over his choices and if he feels the urge to misbehave, he is going to try to say to himself," My mom and dad believe and trust in me,They know that i can control my urges to disrupt the class". lets see how it goes, i will let you know..Thanks again for your in put!
You could try finding ways to burn off a little of the extra energy. Anything from an organized sport to more time playing outside might help. My son is younger but also high energy. I got him a mini trampoline when he was 2 and he still loves it.
Get the book "Raising Your Spirited Child." It may be helpful for your particular situation.
Not that I like slapping labels on kids, but could it be that he has ADHD? Or that he could be gifted and "acting up" because he is bored in school? Is it possible for him to be evaluated by school personal or to schedule a discussion with his teacher or a school counselor?
Does he participate in regular team sports of any kind or individual sports Mom? IF not look into one, martial arts are great at his age, they provide great exercise and teach discipline and responsibility too. Be sure to are regualrly praising good behavior and occasionally rewarding him for it too with not always something material. Take him to the movies or the ice cream store as a reward when it happens too, but remember all caregivers and parents need to be on the same page with discipline. I think consequences of poor behavior must be firm and mean something to your son. I still believe that witholding favorite activities like Wii, TV I-pod, play dates etc is best at this age. Do be sure you are keeping lines of communication open as much as you can and provideing plenty of hugs too, puberty and the tough tween and teen yrs are just around the corner Mom. Hope this helps.
I would have a short psychological evlauation and see if you have the beginins of issues that may need attention. His description is kind of telling, and you should listen to it, and have a professional ask him more direct and diagnostic questions about what is going on. You already know that dicipline is not the issue, or it would have worked, kids who have behavioral changes suddenly, who do not respond to dicipline, and who are able to make this kind of description should see a professonal for help.
M.
Sounds to me like he might benefit from joining an organized sport. Sports are great for kids...they help them release energy and frustration and give them something to look forward too. Baseball, soccer, or maybe karate?
Good Luck
Too much energy and a little crazy sounds like he has some energy or loss of interest in school and he needs to focus on something he loves. Enroll him in some activity. Sports, music lessons, acting, karate, a boys club like boy scouts (don't know what clubs they have in Mexico). Churches, libraries and community centers usually have events for cheap or free.
My son takes chess and guitar lessons at the library for free.
