My son wont quit hitting me~

[tiffyd121]

Whenever my son is mad or doesnt get his way. he hits me or squeezes my hand, or pinches me. I have tried everything I can think of and nothing is working. He is 4. He has a speech dealy, so trying to talk to him does nothing. He doesnt grasp if you hit me you will get a spankin, or go to time out etc. HELP!

[M.J.O.]

wow, sorry to hear this. I'd put my "foot down" a bit, you need to be sure to be consistent with a punishment everytime he does it. Maybe sitting in time-out isn't enough, take away a favorite toy for a while as well. Be careful how you react too, he may be looking for your reaction as a sign he's getting his way - like testing the boundaries. First, I'd try to not acknowledge his attempts and then casually (and immediately) put him in time out or remove that toy for the day. Hopefully if he sees that you are unfazed and unaffected by his hitting he'll understand it does nothing for him - just be sure not to let him replace that behaviour with something else (like tantrumming or worse). I wish you luck, and know that so many of us have been there as well.