Child Aggression

Photo Credit: Liam Manic

I recently visited a friends house for the first time. The youngest child is a very sweet, outgoing child, but she seemed very needy and in fact, pushy in her neediness. Her pushyness got to the point of mild aggression and I am concerned.


I was pushing her on the swingset, per her repeated request, when she told me to get on the tire swing. The tire swing is entirely too small for me, so I said no. She kept repeating the order to get on the tire swing and I kept calmly telling her no, that I didn't want to and that I wouldn't. She started chanting, at the top of her lungs "GET ON THE TIRE SWING!!"

I stayed calm, but stopped answering her. She then started kicking me in the chest, purposefully, as she swung toward me (I was pushing from the front). It didn't hurt, but I told the child to stop and that she wasn't allowed to hurt people to make them do what she wanted and that if she didn't stop, I was no longer going to play with her.

She kept kicking me and said "I will stop kicking you if you do what I'm telling you to do." I turned on my heel and walked away, as she yelled at me to push her on the swing my entire walk out of the yard.

This child is 5 years old. I'm very concerned about this level of aggression and violent manipulation and what it might mean for her future.

Any thoughts?