What makes my six year old constantly talk back?

My son is six years old. A great kid, heart of gold. Doing very well in school. The question is. What makes an otherwise great kid constantly talk back to his mom?

He rolls his eyes, makes a huff and walks off. My wife is at her wits end.

Yes. Most definitely ground him. Take his rewards off him, eg, tv in room, play station, favorite toys etc, and when he's good give them back. give him more rewards when he's more good. He'll learn from this, and know not to be naughty. Spanking won't work, he'll just lose all respect of you. when he's older thats all he'll remember of you.. Good luck.

Must be the hormones in the meat and the milk these days. Lots of kids are doing that. I wouldn't have thought to do that to my mom, because of the consequences, but my daughter tries that too. Best thing to do is a time out, grounding them from something they like, or some other form of punishment. I grew up on spankings myself. (I'm not saying to do that) And I didn't turn out that bad.

punish him. he shouldnt be able to do that. you are letting him and he thinks its ok. ground him if he does it again. and I mean not letting him watch tv or something

Thanx for the replies.

Discipline is best. I hate to do this to my eight year old who also backtalks and rolls her eyes. It's the sign of the times I guess. I still make her stand by the wall if it is very bad. She hates this but it makes her think about her actions.

Good Luck,
Mama K

hes jsut being a kid... unfortunatly thats what kids do, and also people have diffrent ways of disagreeing to adults some might roll their eyes, some might argue back and some wont say anything, and it depends on what you say to him, but it really depends... I suppose the way he reacts is his personal way of disagreeing, and I dont know your boy so I cant say if his attiude it gune get better or worse if he gets scoulded for his behavior, but if you do tell him off then make sure its in a way that wont let him use it agaisnt you... because belive me I have a lot of things agaisnt my mother...

Wow, I have to come to this site more often.

Again thanx for the replies

I think kids learn this behavior from kids at school. My son is a lot like your description of yours but once he started school the backtalking started.I was spanked as a child and I wasn't harmed or damaged by it but it really did me good at times. I'm not talking about child abuse of course, but a swat on the bottom once in awhile is really what it takes to make my child know I mean business. When I try to put my 6 year old in time out he thinks it's a joke. I really don't even have to spank him anymore, after one or two times he learned that his mom deserves to be respected and will not put up with his behavior. I have tried taking things away from him as a way of punishment but usually that just results in his whinning for the next three hours wanting it back. So spanking works best for us, although it's not the cool thing to do nowdays. Also, I have never met a kid that didn't talk back once in awhile, it's a part of growing up, but now is the time to control it and let him know it's unacceptable to treat his mom that way because if it's not , it's likely to get worse as he gets older. But it sounds like you have a great kid!

He learns it from the kids at school. Does he have any older brothers or sisters? Or do any of his friends have older brothers or sisters, because most of the time thats where they get it. Or he has heard you or your wife, or someone who lives with you or just someone he is around do it. Kids learn by copying what they hear and see.

hope I helped, xoxo

children learn from the people around them, no matter what the age and no matter what the influence. Also, he probably see's your's and your wife's reaction when he does it and with the newly given attention he's getting, he's loving it and probably doesn't want to stop. It's probably just a faze. Try maybe doing it back to him but, not saying anything rude, try just being retorical, or sarcastic, but make sure you do it in silly ways. Or just ignore him. He's gunna test your limits either way so be prepared.

First off it isnt wrong to discipline a child spankin a disobedient child is absolutely ok however putting him in a garbage bag and beating him iwth a garden hose isnt. see the difference ^.^

It could be a number of things. Sometimes kids just try to see what you will get away with. Other times they are trying to be independent.

No, No, NO! Don't punish! Punishing just brings anger! When children talk back lisson to what they say! And try compremising. Really parents (this will sound odd) should be glad their children are showing indipendence! Independence is a sign of intelligence and strong will which are good traits, talking back is simply a by-product of intelligence and strong will!

This is a ridiculous question with a simple answer: communication. Talk to him. Ask him what makes him say what he says. Ask him how he thinks and feels. Show interest in him as a human being. How can you know your own child if you don't communicate with him? Emphasizing authority won't help because that would make you more of a tyrant than a parent. Being a parent isn't about control, it's about nurture. Don't assume that he simply learned it from someone else. Are you at all interested in getting to the heart of the matter or just to control his behavior?