My 5 year old son threatens to run away or say that we don't love him or say very disturbing, self-deprecating things when he doesn't get what he wants. How do we deal with this?

i think your son is definitely going through some feelings of insecurity. my first born has been through the same, especially after the sibling arrived. i can share a few tips with you that helped me: 1. spend a lot of extra time with your son and make him feel the sole center of your attention. maybe you could go out together for food or a movie, just you and him if there is a sibling, or you and your partner with him. 2. talk to him about what he does at school, who his friends are, and in general try to understand what is going on in his life when he is away from home. 3. certain ads featuring kids running away from home or threatening to do so are popular on television, so it is possible he picked up the idea from there. i would suggest you keep a watch for some time on what he watches, and it could give you an idea. 4. make your child feel special. if he does something good, appreciate his effort and make sure to talk about it to your partner in front of him, or maybe to your friends in such a way that he can hear mommy is proud of him. it can get really difficult to handle the emotions of kids, and sometimes, without realizing, we do things that hurt them or make them feel unloved. i am sure you will figure it out soon, so just be there with him and make him feel loved.

First of all spend some time with him daily to go to root of the problem. Some directions are as follows: - Kids at this tender age tend to imitate the things they learn from surrounding. TVs or friends might be a source. - He might actually feel neglected. How are you spending your time? Do you have another kid who you are favouring unintentionally? - He might want what other kids in his circle possess and that might be a source of comparison. You might need to think about some positive reinforcements to encourage good behaviour by rewarding him reasonably.

Has there been any major change lately in his life? Like arrival of a sibling, change of place or school? Your kid needs a lot of your attention and time now. Something is bothering him else such a young lad shouldn't be saying all these things. Keep on talking to him lovingly, don't scold him always. Try to prod what's going on in his mind. Love heals everything.

Such a young child would not say such things unless something is really bothering him. You need to talk to hum and find out what's going on in his mind. External influences would tend to make him use such threats. Give him extra attention and affection so that his insecurities die down. Change will surely come.