So I was banded last Minday (the 9th) and my 7 year old spent the whole week at grandmas to give me time to recover (I am a single mom) well my son came home yesterday. And I have just played with him. Mostly cause I missed him so much last week! We played on the phone and played video games and this morning we printed pictures of army guy and cut them out and played army guys... So we get done and I say "man this house is a mess, will you pick up your toys? And I'll do the dishes and vacuum." he throws this big fit! So I started picking up the blankets etc moaning and grunting when I bend over etc and he just sits in the chair and watches me!

I said "I am so shocked that you can see your mom picking up your mess, and you can see how hard it is on me, and you can just sit and watch, and not feel like you should help." followed with "will you please pick up your toys? I need you to help me!" and he screams "I hate this!! Just because you had surgery now I have to do EVERYTHING!!!"

Little rotten brat!! I was so mad, he has done absolutely nothing for me! And suddenly asking him to pick up HIS toys is me milking the surgery excuse?! GGRRRR!!!!

Don't let the 7 year old win! I know he's only 7 but explain to him what family means. Then explain again, and again. That you help each other out, pick up the slack when needed. Regardless of your surgery, he should be picking up his own toys anyway. I would of made him.

Also, is it possible that he picked up that attitude from something grandma said? Sorry you're having such a bad time.

I too wonder if his attitude has anything to do with the week with Grandma. I agree, he needs to be picking up his toys regardless. You might thing about taking the toys away for a bit. If he can't pick them up, he can't play with them. Good luck! Parenting is never easy, surgery or not.

remind him you were helping him pick up his stuff before surgery and no problem then..

Aren't they such a joy!! My bet is grandma told him that he needed to do things around the house because you had surgery. And he saw that as having to do chores...rather than helping you out because he loves you.

But I think I would have taken everything away that I cleaned up. And then I wouldn't let him get ANYTHING else out to play with...nothing. When he asks (yells at you) "WHY?" Iwould in a very calm voice exlain that you arn't going to spend he day cleaning up after him, and he made it clear he didn't want to clean up either...so there wasn't another choice.

If he shows geniune sorrow for how he treated you, then you can have a heart to heart about how families take care of each ther...remind hm of a few times you took care of him...if he says he sorry and will clean up, then I would let him get a few things out....if he stays in his ugly mode then...let him suffer until tomorrow.

Thank you all for your support!! Truth is the attitude is nothing new, it's not something he picked up from grandmas!

My boy has been spoiled rotten his whole life! It has always been just me and him. He is the sun in my universe and he knows it!!

It's funny, ya know... I used to roll my eyes when everyone told me that I was gonna regret spoiling him like I did, that he was gonna be trouble if I didn't stop it. And I would roll my eyes and laugh!! And say "he's not spoiled, he's just 'well loved'

I love my babe so much! But he is definite spoiled rotten! And it's gonna be a hard road trying to change that! ... For us both!!