Biting furniture

Hi...

I have a 3 year old son who has just recently begun defiant behavior.  He is extremely intelligent, conscientious and well adjusted as far as I can tell.  However, today I noticed something distressing.

He had been put down for a nap to try to redirect his defiance.  He had been contradicting everything I said and whining about even things he had asked to do himself.  Timeouts were not working.  So, I decided his behavior was probably a result of his being tired so I put him in his room for a nap (and to give Mommy time to calm down and rest).  He finally went to sleep, 1 1/2 hours later.

When he got up, we did some crafts and I later went into his room to make his bed.  I noticed some strange marks on his headboard.  I asked him what it was and he said "I did it with my teeth."  When I asked why, he said, "Because I was eating it."  

Now I'm sure he was not trying to eat it.  But it distresses me that he would do something so odd.  Is this normal?  Could it just be the result of boredom?  Should I be concerned?

Thanks!

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Ms, McCormick,

No, you needn't worry. And take with a large grain of salt anything a young child says when we ask why something occurred. Young children are nearly incapable of replying sensibly to this question - they don't have the cognitive capacity to engage in introspection and to examine motives. From your brief description, it sounds like your son is developing fine, this one incident notwithstanding.

[Paige McCormick]

Thank you for your time and comments!