Boy.

We are having so much trouble with him right now. Nothing seems to work. He's four, or is he fourteen? I can't even go too much into it because it feels like he's been replaced somehow. I've just read in Raising Boys (Biddulph) that @ four boys have a surge in testosterone...suddenly he becomes defiant, throwing, hitting a bit (as much as we have taught him that it's not acceptable and speak to him calmly, he'll laugh like the wild child of Borneo and do it again...)...we've put up some of his very favorite things, and explained that he's to be without them for a few days...when he can start behaving he will receive them back, one by one...
Everything seemed fine until we went downtown and I can't even go into how much he scares us sometimes with his "flighty" stuff. His running away...are we too smothery? What are we doing wrong? Probably everything. Hugs & praises and kind words...we fill him up all day with them, and it's all genuine. The advice I read says to do just that and speak calmly and yes, yes, yes, of COURSE we're doing all of these things.

I know he's testing us...but wheeeeeeeewwwwwwwww is it a trial right now. Then I go and read things about aggression in children, and how they'll grow to be young alcoholics and drug users and OH well there you go. I was a bit of a runner and had a fly off the handle temper @ an early age, and my parents never did anything to "make" me that way, I was never hit and always knew how much I was loved. Is it something ingrained in our DNA? Have two crazy neurotics made another? We love him so very much. This is such a weird stage he's going through.

He's smart and funny, and usually (until we moved up here! I really think the changes have effected him adversely)... but right now we're painting acorns, so I'll have to go...