How to Deal with My Five Year Old

ok, first the fighting, i hope your not fighting in front of him, if so stop... if you absolutely have to fight, do it where he cannot overhear it... that scares a child when their parents fight... second the moving, try letting him help pack the non-breakables... everytime i have moved with my kids they help pack, it helps them to know that they are important to you, and if they pack their toys not you, they know they are going too... it should all work out in the end... good luck and God Bless

Hi, I just went through the EXACT same thing with my daughter who is the same age. Her behavior was a problem in school & everything. Once we moved and she got her own room she settled right down. The theory we had was OUR behavior had changed. We were grouchy, impatient, stressed, and arguing more. She modeled the behavior I guess, so my advice would be keeping the atmosphere as calm as possible. Keep a digalogue open with him about why he's upset, or better yet, what he's looking forward to when you get to the NEW HOUSE! Try to turn the attention towards the positive thing he has coming up...

The fighting is probably on his last nerve, so you know how he feels now. Moving is very stressful for everybody. Try to keep the fighting to a minimum. Everything will work out just fine, so relax and be sure to calmly discuss situations with your spouse as they arrise instead of fighting. A move is hard enough for a child to begin with, but if they hear alot of fighting they may be more worried of a split up. Just keep reassuring him that everything is fine and if you can then try to schedule a relaxed trip to the new place and the new school if there is one so he can have a little look see around and let him know that moving is hard and yes you're stressed but the family is staying together so not to worry.

State that to him in those words that you all arent leaving him. Tell him if he keeps up acting the way he is then he can get a butt busting...yes im from old school and i am a firm believer in a butt whippin. Tell him that how he is acting isnt right and if he keeps it up then he will get grounded and things takin away..."Timeouts" are a big joke!!

Fighting and moving is never easy on anyone. Try to pay special attention to him, do something fun as a family. That may ease some tention with the fighting.

When my daughter and I moved, I tried to find something for her to be excited about. For her, we re-did her bedroom, and I let her pick out what she wanted it to look like. She really enjoyed that.

Hi K.:

I am the mother of five with college down to age 5. We went through something very similar. My five year old at that time loved books. So, since I'm not sure how your son feels about books and you sitting down to read to him, but you might take a little trip over to the bookstore and see what you find in line with the we're moving type subjects.

The other thought is that I'm not sure where you are located, but when my son had an issue with behavior at school and we couldnt figure it out after doctor visits and trying several things, we took him to a child therapist.

We worked with Nancy Shirley in Cicero and she was great with him. It's a thought if you need a bit of professional assistance. She is very gentle and calming and could certainly help if you and your hubby can't find another way to calm your son's nerves and anxiety.