Ok now I just feel worse about my ability to parent
I should clarify with the "because I said so". Most of the time we will explain why he cant do/have this etc. There are times when he will ask for something ie go to the boy nextdoors house & I will say no. He will ask why & sometimes Ill just say cause I dont want you to so he will keep pressing. Sometimes there just isnt a reason as such - I just dont want him to go nextdoor.
Grinity - your son sounds very much like my son, always finding new rules to break just because he can. Maybe youre right, now that he is older he is wanting to test the boundaries a bit more.
Mumofthree - I can see how being positive would work. I guess its easy to go straight for the punishment rather than explain why he shouldnt have done it. He did do it again yesterday. We also dont worry about the yard being unfenced because my son is a climber so having a fence wouldnt deter him from going out.
I guess the reason for my first post was the concern about the disliking himself or wanting to kill himself. The behaviour is still a problem & we would like ways to manage it better. I feel he is different but his IQ test at this stage doesnt indicate he is gifted as such. Perhaps it is our fault as he is quite mature but we forget he is only 5 after all.
