Boys - Is This Normal Behavior?

If it's NOT normal.....then I have the SAME problem!

Some days, I have a glass of wine after all 3 of mine have gone to bed. : )
If you don't drink wine, some mint tea would be good.

SO normal. I understand completely. When kids can't get outside and run off their energy, they become like wild, caged animals! You aren't doing anything wrong-its just hard to spend so much time indoors! Keep up the good work Mama!

M

I think by this part of the year ALL kids are just itching to get OUT and do "something"!

Is there something they can do inside to burn off that energy? I know it's hard. Hopefully you can get out VERY soon and let them RIP!

Yes, this is normal. In Minnesota, 15 degrees is fine outdoor playing weather. Even a few minutes outside in the cold will help them burn some energy. We go outside here everyday unless it is below zero.

Completely normal! I used to look forward to going to work cause it wasn't as hard work as staying home! When it was summer time and raining, I would put their bathing suits on and go outside and play in the rain. Want to make sure there is no thunder and lightening! They would run around in the yard get muddy and wet. Its tough being a kid and stuck inside. If you have a basement, can you set up some toys that would be considered outside toys? That is what my brother and sister-in-law did in Wisconsin.

I also live up in the mountains, so please know that it is uncommon for a Mt. Lion to attack during the day or even at all. Elk will NOT attack unless seriously provoked, same with a Coyote! Yet if you are that concerned put up a fence, even a cheap one offering boundaries to the boys. BTW: I have been up in the mtns over 30 years, walk alot, dog runs alot, but never a lion attack. In fact I have only seen one about 4 times in over 30 years!

Curious what kind of food were they fed, as some will induce active and negative behaviors and then crankiness!

Also, it sounds as if the kids are walking all over you. Thus if you want it to stop, be more consistent, as consistency in expectations, helps develop boundaries, taking responsibility for one's own action (even at 4) and overall trust, safety and security. If he cannot be quiet in Time out, then think of somethig else, such as a quiet non active space for Time out, and a time out whereby the child faces the wall or corner. for each time he turns, talks or kicks, he gets another 2 minutes, but do not engage him, just say 2 more minutes for talking!

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! You've just described my EVERY DAY with my 2.5yo DS! I'm laughing because winters are awful when we can't get him out of the house.
Look on the bright side, you've at least got 2 to entertain each other. I just have the 1, who is mischievous and sneaky as hell. Saturday morning, he found my nail polish (dragged a chair to a counter top to climb and get it) and then painted the coffee table a nice shade of red. All in 5 minutes while we were distracted with the baby.

Totally normal. Wish I had some suggestions for distraction! I have yet to find anything that really works for more than 10 minutes!!!

Just add "wild time" to your schedule during the day and let them let it rip. but when "wild time" is over they have to be more subdued. Just make boundaries that you can live with and pray for Spring :)

It's pretty normal for some kids. Even if it's too cold for very long, just getting dressed up for 30 min outside can help burn off some of the energy. Unfortunately when cabin fever sets in, sometimes there's not much to do but watch TV/movie and you can take breaks between shows to read to them. Other 'busy' activities include stringing macaroni (or popcorn) on strings (watch younger one in case he tries to swallow it), cutting shapes in paper with safety scissors, lacing cards, coloring, etc. Maybe they can use the short outdoor time to put the popcorn strings out as bird food in a bush or tree they can watch from a window.

Completely normal! That doesn't mean you can't implement some strategies to get more control at home, but with 2 and 4 year old boys (I have that pair as well), nothing ALWAYS works. Sometimes you just have "those days" when you're trapped at home and they need to be outside running for about 4 hours!

If this is more of an every day problem, then you probably need to implement more than time-outs for the 4 year old. We've tried several approaches with our child, but "Parenting With Love and Logic" and "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk" are both excellent and have really been incredibly helpful with ours.

***Update -I also want to suggest that you enlist the 4 year old's help with some household chores. This past weekend, my 4 year old was actually a GREAT help cleaning bathrooms and helping his dad vacuum and straighten up downstairs! He LOVES the Scrubbing Bubbles and gleefully coated everything I asked him to in it and actually did a great job with the paper towels wiping it up and cleaning. He also loves the Swiffer dust wands and he loves to clean mirrors and glass with Windex. Yours would probably enjoy spraying and doing "grown up" things as well ;-)

I live in Wisconsin and remember snow days well. You can't take them out to run off the excess energy. However dad could take them out for 10 minutes or so to help shovel to burn off some of the excess. On good days take them out to play or take them to the mall or other big store and make them walk for at least a half hour, no carts or strollers, hold hands and walk and window shop. If they are good buy them a treat for under $5 it's worth the money to get some of your sanity back.

Yes, it is very normal behavior. Little boys just have an unbelievably amount of energy that they have to burn off. I learned this with my very hyperactive son and now with my two grandsons (the same ages as yours). What we did then and still do now is our basement is unfinished so we have a couple of mattresses down there for jumping on, wrestling, etc. I also make obstacle courses around the house for them. I know, it is a pain in the neck and a mess but it really is worth in the long run. They run up the stairs and into rooms, turn lights on and off, run all the way to the basement, jump, shoot baskets, etc. Anything to keep them running and burning off that energy. Or, just play like "simon says" and jump or skip or hop or wiggle, dance, anything and everything to calm them down a little. It works like a charm and at our house they will settle down and go play legos or knex, etc. Good Luck. In my opinino there is no point putting them in time out, they just can't help it.

Yep - I've got a 3.5 year old and a 9 month old and while the baby isn't crawling yet I can already tell they are going to be wild together! My 3.5 year old no longer naps and seems to have energy that goes all day long (he has about an hour of quiet time in his room or watching a movie most days). To get the energy out when the weather is too cold for the park I take them to the mall or to a fast food play place - usually I end up getting just a snack like apple slices for the oldest and a coffee for myself. When it is too rough outside to drive I try to come up with an activity for the day like baking or a craft. My oldest also helps me clean - he has his own spray bottle that just has water or he can use some of my homemade stuff that just has vinegar and water - I would avoid letting him use any stronger chemicals since they can lead to breathing problems over time. Anyway, he loves to clean in the bathrooms besides me and he has his own vacuum (it is a small Bissel meant for smaller areas) and he does the floors right beside me - so cute and gets some of the energy out!

As for playing independently, this is not at all unrealistic. I think if you put in some quality time playing first (say for an hour or so) and then say "mommy needs to do x and when I am done we can (read, play a game, etc) but for now I need you two to play on your own." Maybe start with little tasks first such as unloading the dishwasher and then work up to longer and longer times. I started doing this with my oldest when he was about 2 and now he plays independently for hours at a time as long as I check in with him and let him know I haven't forgotten about him! Anyway, best of luck taming those wild things known as boys :)

Totally normal! We just finished part of our basement and what a God send that playroom has been this winter. My youngest boys are 5 and 6 and I often describe parenting them as wrangling monkeys. The best is when they tag-team us, literally scheming to work together to get away with something. We were in church yesterday and it was an endless round of trying to silently corral one, then the other, then the other, then the other. A few older ladies near me took a minute at the end of Mass to say that they had to laugh while watching me try to keep them settled and that watching my boys made them miss their own little boys, who are now grown men. I agree with the suggestion that if at all possible, throw them outside in their snowsuits and let them burn some energy.

2 and 4 year olds live to test every limit imaginable. Its really tough when you have days where they can't be active and release some energy. In general, I've found The Love and Logic Institute to be really helpful in raising kids who learn their own lessons. It gives you tools so time outs aren't the only tool you are using. Check them out at www.loveandlogic.com. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better, too!

Definitely normal. I have a 4 year old son, 2 year old son, and 4 month old daughter. We have the boys ride their trikes in our unfinished basement, put on crazy music and dance (a "clean" way to get their energy out), play a game where they have to run around and find random hidden things throughout the house, etc. We also have them sit and color pictures for friends and family (we only send them SOMETIMES, but they make things almost every day), cut out pictures, help us bake and cook (cookies or muffins are great for snow days), read stories and act them out, and otherwise just be silly.

Totally normal.

For you, I wanted to let you know that I was battling a sinus infection, too, and it was over the weekend and everything was closed. I decided to eat 3 cloves of raw garlic, because of friend-of-a-friend's-mother's-cousin's-step-mother (you know what I mean) said it would help. It did.

Good luck.

So normal! Do anything that gets them moving to burn off some of that energy!

Did you take them out to play in the snow o they could burn that energy off outside? I have 2 boys and we have to get outside every day or they go stir crazy. Unless it's below 10 degrees we play outside same rule as their school. Doesn't matter if it's snowing, raining, warm out, etc we dress for the weather and go play. When they start getting really loud inside I usually find a quiet activity for them to do we always have some type of craft for them to do, I try to include them with chores I do during the day so they dont start acting out to get attention. I let them help me cook, fold laundry, do dishes, I give them each a task o do while I clean my youngest loves to sweep around 2 he liked when i would give a spray bottle and rag and he would wash the walls.

yup. wiggly boys must get their yahoos out!
i would bundle those boys up and send 'em out to have snow adventures with dad.
khairete
S.

I got an exercise trampoline (the little kind) to keep in my basement for the kids to use in the winter, we also put on music and dance til we drop! Sometimes I will bundle my kids up and have them go out even in the very cold for just a few minutes, it helps! And I will often give them an assignment like runa round the house three times, slide down the slide, and throw 3 snowballs for the dog (our dog loves to catch snowballs in her mouth) before they come in the house. Playdough is also good for cold weather fun, and other crafts if they enjoy that kind of thing. Making balnket forts is fun and takes up lots of time, they have to work on making the fort then they play in it, then usually have a pillow fight. I think that you need to worry less about messes, if you are trying to keep your house perfectly clean then of course your kids are going nuts, they NEED to make some messes and play! Then when play time is over make them help clean up, if they don't do things as perfectly as you would, so what? When you are a mom you have to settle for a house that is not magazine perfect, when the kids are grown you can worry about having a beautifully clean house. Good luck, I hope you feel better!

With my 2 kids... If they start acting like that, I put their snow suits on and tell them to play in the back yard. I can see them from our house.

I also have a room designated for them to 'distroy' with their toys. That usually keeps the mess located in one area.

Being cooped up... Yes, this is a normal reaction.

Love the trampoline idea! What about play-doh? (I know this makes some people cringe!) Building Lego towers, which of course will need to be destroyed by the "construction crew", send them on a "hunt" through the house for something that won't scare them - they could use the Lego guns (every little boy loves to make guns, whether you have them or not or talk about them) to "freeze" them. What about a simple treasure map? You could take pictures of places and hide the pictures in order - like you give them a piece of paper rolled up with a picture of their dresser with an arrow to their bottom drawer, they go there and find a picture of the bathroom counter, they go there and find...... You can re-use the pictures too! Maybe a fun snack is waiting for them at the end of the treasure hunt...... Have fun!