Defiant Preschooler After Being Sick?

[Wait4It..boom]

My son is almost 4 and for the last couple of winters has shown this pattern when he gets sick (even with a common cold and a runny nose) - cuddly and lethargic for a day or 2 and as soon as he's feeling better he's a defiant little buggar that doesn't listen to anything and bounces from thing to thing that he shouldn't be doing (ALL DAY LONG for several days afterwards). You want to nurture them because they're sick but I find myself just behind the power curve chasing him down with days filled of "No's." While I'm doing crisis management from one thing, he'll move on to something else. Any other time, he's a very good natured kid that doesn't try to push your buttons. This only happens when he's starting to feel better after having been sick. Has anyone else experienced this with their young children?

 

[pixiegirl]

It's probably a result of being coddled (sp?) while sick. You're probably more lax and give them a ton of attention when they don't feel good so when they start feeling better and aren't getting the same treatment they act out in order to get it.

 

[thebird]

My son is almost 4 and for the last couple of winters has shown this pattern when he gets sick (even with a common cold and a runny nose) - cuddly and lethargic for a day or 2 and as soon as he's feeling better he's a defiant little buggar that doesn't listen to anything and bounces from thing to thing that he shouldn't be doing (ALL DAY LONG for several days afterwards). You want to nurture them because they're sick but I find myself just behind the power curve chasing him down with days filled of "No's." While I'm doing crisis management from one thing, he'll move on to something else. Any other time, he's a very good natured kid that doesn't try to push your buttons. This only happens when he's starting to feel better after having been sick. Has anyone else experienced this with their young children?

I have a similar problem but my 3 1/2 year old is super defiant a day or two BEFORE he gets sick. My mother says I was always the same way, she'd whack me on the butt and when I came down sick the next day or two she'd feel terrible about being so hard on me...He gets super cuddly when he gets sick so he's pretty much the opposite of your son!

 

[poster]

It's probably a result of being coddled (sp?) while sick. You're probably more lax and give them a ton of attention when they don't feel good so when they start feeling better and aren't getting the same treatment they act out in order to get it.

I agree. Also I'd guess he's well rested and needing to burn off some steam while not feeling quite better yet so still a little grouchy. That and I bet his routine/schedule is off.

 

[Wait4It..boom]

It's just that he does the most bizarre things when he's starting to feel better. For instance, the other day one minute he's in the kitchen and just gets this bug and runs into the toy room and turns over the bookshelf, dumps every container of toys onto the floor, and then just leaves the room like nothing ever happened. This ISN'T like him at all- it's like he's a different kid and doesn't hear you. With the episode in the toy room, he just said he was 'looking for something.' This only happens when he's been sick. It's just bizarre. Another example was this morning he was sitting quietly and then decided to just get my checkbook register and rip it to shreads.