My kids… for lack of a better word… are brats. They are 4.5 (J) and 2.5 (F). J will not comply with anything. “Honey let’s pick up your toys together” = “NO! I’m not going to and you can’t make me. *spits*”. F screams and cries about everything. He doesn’t get exactly what he wants? Screams. Not just a normal scream. It’s bloody murder. He wants snacks all day without eating meals and if I say no he literally starts hitting, biting, screaming non stop. It’s relentless. From wake up to bed time he screams. J is just mean. He’ll come up to you and be like “I want to go outside.” And I’ll be like “I’m sorry but it’s raining”. And he starts hitting me and saying I’m a bad mom and he hates me. It’s like this about everything. They are never happy. They’re constantly fighting, screaming at me, DEMANDING things, and just saying NO about 100% of everything. I’m at my wit’s end. I started spanking J on the butt a couple of times because literally nothing else is working. No gentle parenting technique. Taking things away. Direct consequences. Talking. Validating. Nothing works. I started taking him to a therapist as well who told me he likely has oppositional defiant disorder. These kids don’t play. With their toys they just throw around and break. If I try to play with them, they get bored within two minutes. They tear up books. Put holes in the walls. I just really don’t know what to do and feel miserable. Everyone else seems to happy and joyous with their kids and my kids are so miserable to be around.