My 3 year old is aggressive

Dear Kay,

I am a single mother to a very aggressive 3year old boy(does not listen at all).Help! He screams, fights me and others, cusses, throws things, but the hardest one for me is he runs from me no matter the danger and will not listen. You can not turn your back on him. I have no one. No one wants to watch him.He has ran right toward a very mean dog, I was yelling stop your going to get bit. I could not catch him. Someone saw him that was close and ran and got him.

We are in the public alot. My oldest races dirtbikes. He listen to all the men around the areas cussing. i can't get him to stop.

Please can anyone give me some help.
Sheila




Dear Sheila:

He is 3 years old, totally out of control and what you are doing is not working. I strongly encourage you to see a specialist. Get to a counselor who deals with children 0-5 years of age and who coaches parents on how to handle strong willed children. He didn't get here overnight and this won't be undone overnight. You are going to need alot of support and coaching to get a grip on him.


Look for a qualified specialist who is successful in this area. Don't trust anyone who thinks this can be handled with violence or punitive measures.

Also, go to the bookstore and look in the children's section for books on appropriate behaviors and expressing feelings. Start reading these everyday.

Best Wishes!

M Kay Keller