Children can be a lot on any given day. Caring for them means sleepless nights, endless patience during tantrums, and somehow trying to squeeze in a few quiet minutes for yourself just to stay sane. If you’re a parent, you already know how demanding that balance can be.
But sometimes, the daily chaos can start to feel truly overwhelming. One burned-out mother recently turned to the internet for help, unsure what to do about her 5- and 2-year-old’s increasingly difficult behavior. From kicking, screaming, and spitting to completely ignoring her, she admitted she was at a total loss. Read her story below.
The woman was exhausted by her young children’s unruly behavior
Image credits: Keira Burton / Pexels (not the actual photo)
So she turned to the internet for help
Image credits: Keira Burton / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: dreadfulchildren
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
What parents can do when disrespectful behavior gets out of hand
No one really says that parenting is a walk in the park. Most people probably expect it to be hard. But just because raising children comes with a well known list of challenges does not make the weight of it any lighter when you are living it every day.
Research shows just how heavy that load can be. According to a 2022 survey by the Parenting Research Centre, three in five parents said they do nothing to truly relax and recharge. Nearly half felt they never had enough time to get everything done, two in three reported not getting enough sleep, and one in five described parenting as very or extremely frustrating.
With that in mind, it is not hard to see why the woman at the center of this story felt so lost dealing with her “unpleasant” children. Occasional tantrums and defiance already stretch a parent thin. But when those moments turn into constant chaos, it can start to feel impossible to cope.
While every child is different and professional guidance is always best, experts agree there are a few practical ways parents can respond to disrespectful behavior. Licensed clinical social worker Amy Morin shared several of these strategies with Parents.com.
One of the first steps is learning when to ignore minor attention-seeking behavior. Morin explains that selective ignoring can be one of the most effective consequences when used correctly.
If a child rolls their eyes or mutters under their breath, engaging in a power struggle often only delays the task you are trying to get done. Instead, parents can calmly restate the expectation and outline what will happen next.
The key is to address the disrespect later, when everyone is calm. As Morin suggests, saying something like, “Earlier you rolled your eyes when I asked you to clean up. Do you realize you do that when you are upset?” can open the door to a more productive conversation.
When ignoring is not enough, it may be time to look deeper. Behavior is often a form of communication. Disrespect can signal frustration, a lack of social skills, or even a need for more connection. That does not mean dropping all boundaries. But Morin notes that setting aside even a short daily window for one-on-one time can sometimes reduce acting out that stems from feeling unseen.
Another helpful tool is using clear “when and then” statements. Instead of focusing on what a child cannot do, this approach shows them how positive behavior leads to positive outcomes. For example, “When you lower your voice and talk calmly, then I will answer you.” The American Academy of Pediatrics supports this method because it gives children control over the outcome while reinforcing respectful communication.
Giving kids the chance to try again is also powerful. If a child demands something rudely, a simple, “Can you try that again?” encourages them to rethink their tone without turning the moment into a lecture. Younger children can be prompted with gentle reminders such as, “I can only hear your kind voice.”
Experts also stress the importance of choosing which behaviors to focus on first. When everything feels like a problem, parents can quickly become discouraged. Prioritizing safety and physical aggression before smaller etiquette issues can make behavior management feel more manageable.
Immediate consequences can also help reinforce boundaries. Whether it is a calm-down space for a younger child or a clear verbal boundary with an older one, the response should be timely and proportional. Morin advises parents to firmly state, “I will not allow disrespectful language in this home,” while staying calm and consistent.
In some situations, restitution can be especially effective. If a child hurts someone or damages property, repairing the harm teaches accountability in a meaningful way. Fixing what was broken or helping the person they hurt shows that words and actions have real consequences beyond a simple apology.
Finally, Morin reminds parents that discipline means to teach. Sometimes, the most surprising response to disrespect is warmth. A hug or a moment of reassurance after a conflict can lower defenses and make children more receptive to learning better behavior moving forward.
The woman later shared more details in the comments
Readers came through with words of support and advice
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I'm kind of confused about most of the Reddit answers to OP's question. Like change the diet, do 3 exercises with the kids, yes they are ND. What happens to parenting?!!! Those two kids are absolutely normal! They just never got some boundaries. It is delusional to try to talk to a 2 or 5 year old like you would do to a preteen or teenager (and even then it sometimes doesn't work). Do parents nowadays really think that they can discuss unwanted behaviour of their little child with that child?!!! Children brains aren't fully developed. Sometimes they can act like nasty, little savages! And you'll have to adress them as such in such a moment. No negotiation or explaining. Clear consequences. (When they've calmed down, then you can talk and explain and negotiate). This had worked wonders with kids growing up in the last decades. Just because we are nowadays more aware of boundaries doesn't mean that a toddler or 5 year old cares about those or political correctness!
Parents need to understand that there's a difference between not using corporal punishment and not using any form of physical correction or restraint. A time out for a five-year-old should be five minutes maximum, and if it requires leading him firmly back to his place or physically preventing him from trashing stuff then that's what you have to do. Over and over again until it sticks. It isn't about being harsh, or mean, or angry, just firm and calm and meeting their escalation with de-escalation.
Load More Replies...Yes, that's what happens to children when there are no consequences for bad behaviour. Those consequences don't need to involve any form of corporal punishment, a***e, etc. However, they do need to exist (perhaps "timeout" etc), and you must follow through with them. You're not negotiating with a child. It is absurd to think that children so young have the capacity to understand their behaviour on the same level as you do. That's something you have to 'teach' them...and that clearly isn't happening.
So... I don't have human children, but I've been around enough cousins, friends' children, and have read enough Mumsnet posts and Reddit threads that, to me, these sound like a fairly typical 2-year-old and 5-year-old. OP is leaping to "they must be neurodivergent!!!!!" as an "explanation". And the whole "my 5-year-old spits, I don't know where he got that from as neither my husband or I do that!" - as if a behavior like spitting is somehow genetic. XD
Agreed. They are just being feral. Look, i love my cat. But sometimes she can be a demanding little shyte. Then I have to yell, or oush her off the couch. It is tough because she gives me a hangdog look and goes sulk. But sometimes you just gotta be tough. Same with kids.
Load More Replies...She doesn't consider ballet and swimming as exercises? What? OP sounds incredibly under-informed about parenting. She also states her son has not had issues in school. So, that means the armchair psychiatrists can stop suggesting disorders. The issue clearly lies in the home, with the parents. Pleading young kids to stop bad behaviour never works. They learn by consequences. Taking away toys and time outs can work, if followed through. It sounds like the 5 year old is old enough for proper punishments. On the contrary, there's something going on leading up to the point where her son is getting violent that OP is not mentioning.
The kids seem to be running the house, not the parents…
Load More Replies...She clearly isn't setting firm enough boundaries. Saying "Please don't get any more toys out" is not a statement made from a position of authority. The kid needs to know that their parents are authority figures in order to feel safe and she and her partner are clearly not providing that, which is why the kid is acting out.
She also didn’t mention (or at least I didn’t see where she mentioned) whether her husband is consistent with correcting behavior, including backing OP up when she has set a punishment, or if he’s undermining/sabotaging (whether he realizes it or not) her efforts by letting the kids off easy once he’s home, or painting Mommy as the bad guy so he can be the good guy and make his kids love him without having to do a lot of work at it. Yes folks, sometimes husbands undermine their wives’ efforts in those ways without even realizing it—-and it’s not good for their wives to have their word suddenly mean nothing when they’re doing the lion’s share of the child rearing and their husbands are not, ffs. It also does the kids no favors either, in the long run, because they don’t learn about consequences if their father lets them off the hook. We’re seeing the real world effects of that in many members of the generations coming into adulthood right now—-and tbh, anyone of any generation who grew up with the same f****d up family dynamics of one parent attempting to set consistent rules and boundaries and the other undermining them and their efforts at every turn, because letting your kids do anything, and behave any way, they want is the lazy parent’s way of being the popular parent with their kids.
Load More Replies...This is exactly why I won't (and shouldn't) have children - if they spit in my face, I'd do it right back to them to see how they like it 😆
I've seen parents bite their kid after their kid bites them.
Load More Replies...A lot of parenting is repetitive and slow or back and forth progress. If you want more fun and rewarding time you have to put in the work With some kids more than others. I get that she's tired, but this is literally the job she signed up for. She doesn't seem to have tried to figure out what's stressing the 5 yo. But she might not find it. Teaching someone a better reaction to stress and frustration often takes years of firm consistent and caring reinforcement. If he's still acting like this at 10, that's different. If he can't sit still during a time out do something different. Have him count something or walk from A to B and back until he calms have him do a physical routine, like stretches five times etc in general see if more or less regular exercise helps. Maybe he's exhausted, maybe he's not moved enough.
You cant fix this online. They need trained family support that sees them at least once a week for as long as it takes. Changing bad patterns is hard work.
I think one of the first steps should be figuring out what's setting the kid off. It's not always immediately obvious. A teacher once told me she had a kid she worked with have a VERY negative reaction to her, seemingly for no reason. Turns out kid was being set off by her perfume. She stopped wearing that perfume and the problem went away. ND kids in particular can be set off by smells and other seemingly innocuous things and this will often manifest in what appears to be a violent rage but is actually a meltdown.
Set the rules and enforce them. "You do not hit mummy!" or "You do not spit at mummy!" and march/drag the kid to "time out" zone. Place back in time out zone until he remains for the full five minutes, even if it takes all afternoon. Even if he is having screaming tantrums. You have to keep it up until he gives in out of pure exhaustion. After time out is finished. Say "Mummy doesn't like it when you hit/spit/have a tantrum instead of doing time out. Can you say sorry, please." If he apologises, give him a hug and say "Thank you for apologising, I love you." If he doesn't "When we hurt/spit/throw tantrums, we apologise. Can you say "sorry mummy?"" If not, back to time out. It's hard and painful to set boundries when you've been parenting ineffectually, but you have to persevere. Try watching some Super Nanny episodes.
I know what a South African parent would do, but it would get censored.
I'd put the little bástards in a zoo. Admittedly, I dislike kids.
Load More Replies...Speak to the school counsellor at the 5yo's school. At the least they will be aware of local resources, but more helpfully they will be able get an IEP started. First step are evaluations, and that can take a long time, so better to start early. If behaviour is really such a problem, the school is already aware. There are several different major types of autism and many other types of ND so being adept socially doesn't mean the kids don't have ASN.
Do not stop asking for help until it gets better. Go to parenting groups, try family therapy, read parenting books...don't give up & don't give in. If it's hard now, it will be 10 times harder as they get older. I can't emphasize this enough. Kids must have loving limits or they will go off the rails. Too many parents are trying to talk their kids into better behaviors or kindness. They need very firm consequences--no hitting (spanking) though 😬. I have fantastic teenagers, but it would have been so much better for all of us if I had learned very firm boundaries early on! Neurodivergent kids need very clear expectations too.
One piece of advice for the benefit of all concerned - No more kids until you get this figured out
Ok, but how is your and your partner's parenting? Do you ever say "no" to your kids? Have you ever shown them where the boundaries are? 5 years old should already know about consequences.
Anyone else notice OP smacking down suggestions because she doesn't want to even try? "Hey maybe this could help" " yeah, no, that definitely won't because we kinda did a half-àssed version once and it wasn't immediately sunshine and unicorns farting rainbows"
Is the 5-year old in daycare? Because he could be learning his s**t behavior from other children at daycare. If he is not in daycare, maybe he should be a couple days a week at least.
This may sound medieval, but what's wrong with sticking the kid in the corner for five minutes?
Get both of them tested ASAP. If there are no neurological problems time to start clamping down on them. The 5yo will clean up whatever he trashes safely. Don't want any injuries while he's doing it. Spitting, tell him if he does it you're gonna pop him in the mouth and do it. I don't mean slap him, just a light pop that to surprise him. Figure out a punishment that works for him and stick to it. The 2 yo when she starts throwing food grab her hands and say no and take it away if you have to. Talk to your pediatrician and get referrals for testing. If there's a Division of TEAACH near you go there. They can do testing and diagnose kids with all forms of Autism beginning with Aspbergers Syndrome to severely Autistic. The longer you wait the worse they are gonna be.
If there is something you don't like about your child then just remember who raised them, children will more often than not reflect, like a mirror their parents and Homelife
Kids are their own people. Some habits are parenting but pretending that the personality and the physicality of the kid has nothing to do with it is cruel and unhelpful. There's a lot of both parties in any outcome. But a lot of OPs problem is that she's focused on parenting as a test for her and not support tonhelp a kid grow she's clearly read the gentle parenting books and not understood the theory she's about the mechanical actions and not thinking about consistency and helping kids understand their emotions. As for the 2 yo, they seem typical 2.
Load More Replies...Because hitting your child is ALWAYS the answer, right? /s
Load More Replies...OP literally stated she doesn't give out any consequences. Instead she threw her kids under the bus and whined "woe is me". OP is the problem. Not the kids.
Load More Replies...Do you really think "3 compliments a day" is going to work on a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old? Also "boys should be brought up in fields" - wṫf? Are you expecting OP to drive to the nearest dairy farm and toss her son into the cows' grazing field? BTW - young girls can have "boundless energy" as well. And not every little boy has "boundless energy".
Load More Replies...I'm kind of confused about most of the Reddit answers to OP's question. Like change the diet, do 3 exercises with the kids, yes they are ND. What happens to parenting?!!! Those two kids are absolutely normal! They just never got some boundaries. It is delusional to try to talk to a 2 or 5 year old like you would do to a preteen or teenager (and even then it sometimes doesn't work). Do parents nowadays really think that they can discuss unwanted behaviour of their little child with that child?!!! Children brains aren't fully developed. Sometimes they can act like nasty, little savages! And you'll have to adress them as such in such a moment. No negotiation or explaining. Clear consequences. (When they've calmed down, then you can talk and explain and negotiate). This had worked wonders with kids growing up in the last decades. Just because we are nowadays more aware of boundaries doesn't mean that a toddler or 5 year old cares about those or political correctness!
Parents need to understand that there's a difference between not using corporal punishment and not using any form of physical correction or restraint. A time out for a five-year-old should be five minutes maximum, and if it requires leading him firmly back to his place or physically preventing him from trashing stuff then that's what you have to do. Over and over again until it sticks. It isn't about being harsh, or mean, or angry, just firm and calm and meeting their escalation with de-escalation.
Load More Replies...Yes, that's what happens to children when there are no consequences for bad behaviour. Those consequences don't need to involve any form of corporal punishment, a***e, etc. However, they do need to exist (perhaps "timeout" etc), and you must follow through with them. You're not negotiating with a child. It is absurd to think that children so young have the capacity to understand their behaviour on the same level as you do. That's something you have to 'teach' them...and that clearly isn't happening.
So... I don't have human children, but I've been around enough cousins, friends' children, and have read enough Mumsnet posts and Reddit threads that, to me, these sound like a fairly typical 2-year-old and 5-year-old. OP is leaping to "they must be neurodivergent!!!!!" as an "explanation". And the whole "my 5-year-old spits, I don't know where he got that from as neither my husband or I do that!" - as if a behavior like spitting is somehow genetic. XD
Agreed. They are just being feral. Look, i love my cat. But sometimes she can be a demanding little shyte. Then I have to yell, or oush her off the couch. It is tough because she gives me a hangdog look and goes sulk. But sometimes you just gotta be tough. Same with kids.
Load More Replies...She doesn't consider ballet and swimming as exercises? What? OP sounds incredibly under-informed about parenting. She also states her son has not had issues in school. So, that means the armchair psychiatrists can stop suggesting disorders. The issue clearly lies in the home, with the parents. Pleading young kids to stop bad behaviour never works. They learn by consequences. Taking away toys and time outs can work, if followed through. It sounds like the 5 year old is old enough for proper punishments. On the contrary, there's something going on leading up to the point where her son is getting violent that OP is not mentioning.
The kids seem to be running the house, not the parents…
Load More Replies...She clearly isn't setting firm enough boundaries. Saying "Please don't get any more toys out" is not a statement made from a position of authority. The kid needs to know that their parents are authority figures in order to feel safe and she and her partner are clearly not providing that, which is why the kid is acting out.
She also didn’t mention (or at least I didn’t see where she mentioned) whether her husband is consistent with correcting behavior, including backing OP up when she has set a punishment, or if he’s undermining/sabotaging (whether he realizes it or not) her efforts by letting the kids off easy once he’s home, or painting Mommy as the bad guy so he can be the good guy and make his kids love him without having to do a lot of work at it. Yes folks, sometimes husbands undermine their wives’ efforts in those ways without even realizing it—-and it’s not good for their wives to have their word suddenly mean nothing when they’re doing the lion’s share of the child rearing and their husbands are not, ffs. It also does the kids no favors either, in the long run, because they don’t learn about consequences if their father lets them off the hook. We’re seeing the real world effects of that in many members of the generations coming into adulthood right now—-and tbh, anyone of any generation who grew up with the same f****d up family dynamics of one parent attempting to set consistent rules and boundaries and the other undermining them and their efforts at every turn, because letting your kids do anything, and behave any way, they want is the lazy parent’s way of being the popular parent with their kids.
Load More Replies...This is exactly why I won't (and shouldn't) have children - if they spit in my face, I'd do it right back to them to see how they like it 😆
I've seen parents bite their kid after their kid bites them.
Load More Replies...A lot of parenting is repetitive and slow or back and forth progress. If you want more fun and rewarding time you have to put in the work With some kids more than others. I get that she's tired, but this is literally the job she signed up for. She doesn't seem to have tried to figure out what's stressing the 5 yo. But she might not find it. Teaching someone a better reaction to stress and frustration often takes years of firm consistent and caring reinforcement. If he's still acting like this at 10, that's different. If he can't sit still during a time out do something different. Have him count something or walk from A to B and back until he calms have him do a physical routine, like stretches five times etc in general see if more or less regular exercise helps. Maybe he's exhausted, maybe he's not moved enough.
You cant fix this online. They need trained family support that sees them at least once a week for as long as it takes. Changing bad patterns is hard work.
I think one of the first steps should be figuring out what's setting the kid off. It's not always immediately obvious. A teacher once told me she had a kid she worked with have a VERY negative reaction to her, seemingly for no reason. Turns out kid was being set off by her perfume. She stopped wearing that perfume and the problem went away. ND kids in particular can be set off by smells and other seemingly innocuous things and this will often manifest in what appears to be a violent rage but is actually a meltdown.
Set the rules and enforce them. "You do not hit mummy!" or "You do not spit at mummy!" and march/drag the kid to "time out" zone. Place back in time out zone until he remains for the full five minutes, even if it takes all afternoon. Even if he is having screaming tantrums. You have to keep it up until he gives in out of pure exhaustion. After time out is finished. Say "Mummy doesn't like it when you hit/spit/have a tantrum instead of doing time out. Can you say sorry, please." If he apologises, give him a hug and say "Thank you for apologising, I love you." If he doesn't "When we hurt/spit/throw tantrums, we apologise. Can you say "sorry mummy?"" If not, back to time out. It's hard and painful to set boundries when you've been parenting ineffectually, but you have to persevere. Try watching some Super Nanny episodes.
I know what a South African parent would do, but it would get censored.
I'd put the little bástards in a zoo. Admittedly, I dislike kids.
Load More Replies...Speak to the school counsellor at the 5yo's school. At the least they will be aware of local resources, but more helpfully they will be able get an IEP started. First step are evaluations, and that can take a long time, so better to start early. If behaviour is really such a problem, the school is already aware. There are several different major types of autism and many other types of ND so being adept socially doesn't mean the kids don't have ASN.
Do not stop asking for help until it gets better. Go to parenting groups, try family therapy, read parenting books...don't give up & don't give in. If it's hard now, it will be 10 times harder as they get older. I can't emphasize this enough. Kids must have loving limits or they will go off the rails. Too many parents are trying to talk their kids into better behaviors or kindness. They need very firm consequences--no hitting (spanking) though 😬. I have fantastic teenagers, but it would have been so much better for all of us if I had learned very firm boundaries early on! Neurodivergent kids need very clear expectations too.
One piece of advice for the benefit of all concerned - No more kids until you get this figured out
Ok, but how is your and your partner's parenting? Do you ever say "no" to your kids? Have you ever shown them where the boundaries are? 5 years old should already know about consequences.
Anyone else notice OP smacking down suggestions because she doesn't want to even try? "Hey maybe this could help" " yeah, no, that definitely won't because we kinda did a half-àssed version once and it wasn't immediately sunshine and unicorns farting rainbows"
Is the 5-year old in daycare? Because he could be learning his s**t behavior from other children at daycare. If he is not in daycare, maybe he should be a couple days a week at least.
This may sound medieval, but what's wrong with sticking the kid in the corner for five minutes?
Get both of them tested ASAP. If there are no neurological problems time to start clamping down on them. The 5yo will clean up whatever he trashes safely. Don't want any injuries while he's doing it. Spitting, tell him if he does it you're gonna pop him in the mouth and do it. I don't mean slap him, just a light pop that to surprise him. Figure out a punishment that works for him and stick to it. The 2 yo when she starts throwing food grab her hands and say no and take it away if you have to. Talk to your pediatrician and get referrals for testing. If there's a Division of TEAACH near you go there. They can do testing and diagnose kids with all forms of Autism beginning with Aspbergers Syndrome to severely Autistic. The longer you wait the worse they are gonna be.
If there is something you don't like about your child then just remember who raised them, children will more often than not reflect, like a mirror their parents and Homelife
Kids are their own people. Some habits are parenting but pretending that the personality and the physicality of the kid has nothing to do with it is cruel and unhelpful. There's a lot of both parties in any outcome. But a lot of OPs problem is that she's focused on parenting as a test for her and not support tonhelp a kid grow she's clearly read the gentle parenting books and not understood the theory she's about the mechanical actions and not thinking about consistency and helping kids understand their emotions. As for the 2 yo, they seem typical 2.
Load More Replies...Because hitting your child is ALWAYS the answer, right? /s
Load More Replies...OP literally stated she doesn't give out any consequences. Instead she threw her kids under the bus and whined "woe is me". OP is the problem. Not the kids.
Load More Replies...Do you really think "3 compliments a day" is going to work on a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old? Also "boys should be brought up in fields" - wṫf? Are you expecting OP to drive to the nearest dairy farm and toss her son into the cows' grazing field? BTW - young girls can have "boundless energy" as well. And not every little boy has "boundless energy".
Load More Replies...












































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