The good news and the bad.

Grandchildren seem to do as tag team thing, as soon as one starts behaving the other one steps into the naughty space that their sibling has just vacated!! I'm sure it's a plot to keep us poor grannies on our toes! Hang on in there * NK*, it will probably all change again before you know it!

We hear a lot about the 'terrible twos', but I have never heard of 'traumatic threes' before - sounds about right tho, unfortunately ...

I had a 'three month theory' where my four were concerned when they were little. I think some sort of significant development took place for someone at some point every three months and it was rare to find everyone in a good place all at once.

Nankate, at least you can look forward to the 3 year old growing out of this current phase, just as his big brother did. Good luck .

Someone keeps moving the goal posts, you just find you have cracked on thing and along comes another and looking after my 3 DGC they take turns. The 10yr old has turned into Kevin the teenager recently keep plugging away nk

Ah yes, Thrawn Threes, where every boundary has to be tested, preferably every day, just to make sure you mean it.

I always though 3s were far worse than 2s. They are more savvy at how to wind you up too. I found my boys between 8 & 10 were horrible! Stay with it- they all get over it in time- just in time for teen angst usually.

Agree with grannyqueenie. I have seen that.Very wierd.

Kids! Always immature.

my two grandaughters seem to go from one phase to another every day.
the eldest is a teenager now [don't think there's much to add to that as we all know what teenagers are like] and the youngest is definately moving into pre-teen mode at 10.
actually i've got four grandaughters but don't see the younger two very often which is a shame. they're almost 4 and almost 2 but seem to be at loggerheads whenever we see them. but my older two were always at loggerheads when they were that age.
it seems as if children go from one phase to another and i don't think it ever stops not even when they're adults and have left home!!

My red haired son was a nightmare when he was little. One doctor told me he was the worst child he'd ever had in hs surgery and the little demon played up, misbehaved, shouted, yelled and tantrumed in every shop or eating establishment he was taken to. In fact we gave up eating anywhere outside the house until he was much older.

One day, in a National Trust shop, the lovely older lady behind the counter saw my traumatised face and said, 'Don't worry. My son was exactly like that when he was little and he is as nice as he can be now. He was bright and is a graduate with a good job.' I don't know why I believed her but her words had the ring of truth about them and were very comforting.

27 years on my naughty son couldn't be nicer, is a graduate and works hard at a charity sending books and equipment to schools in Africa. His father and I couldn't be prouder of him.

I shouldn't worry too much. Hold the line for now and grit your teeth. It'll all be fine.

Glass I recognise the Kevin the teenager thing. Just like our ten year old. You gotta love 'em though!

You've got to love them, but you don't have to like them sometimes.

I usually tell newish parents who are thinking that everything is great now that their babies are sleeping through/ finished teething/ out of nappies etc etc that things don't get better they just get different even when they are 'grown -ups' !!
I like to tell it how it is !

It might be worth checking that your 5 year old GS isn't secretly bullying/ tormenting his little brother. I have seen older children who are having to manage /control their own behaviour, to then take out their aggressive energy on younger siblings.
5 year old GS has probably experienced peer pressure within school, to adjust his behaviour. He may be using the same sorts of responses towards his own brother.

Imperfect I made up the 'traumatic threes' as it seemed to sum up the little one.

The boys had fun playing in the front of our stationary car fiddling with all the knobs and the sat nav. I said to the eldest 'when you and a big boy and driving around will you take me out for a ride ? ' his quick reply was 'No you will be dead by then' ! I am 69 and he is 5, hopefully he is wrong.

Yes I'm another Gran with a teenager in the making! He is 9 and becoming really like 'Kevin'! The other day he told me that he had a right to do what he liked as he was an individual! Wha?

How immature !

Bubbe the eldest was very jealous of the youngest in the beginning as the little one had so much attention paid to him because of his awful eczema. Fortunately he really seems to have matured and tolerates his little bro who does all he can now to irritate and annoy him and push the boundaries with his parents and us.

I'm sure all will settle down in time. We love them to bits regardless.

NanKate, its always such a joy to see our little'uns maturing. Actually, its a true joy to see them at all times.

They are just all different ( trite but true) as our own children were well behaved when they were small ( and older as well) but we had friends who had such badly behaved children they were constantly worried about them, but now as adults, both ours and theirs are all graduates with jobs and families. Our friends were not parenting badly but their children just had different personalities to ours.
it all comes out in the wash, as they used to say!