Also I learnt one thing from a very dear friend... Never say the word 'NO' to d child, it would soon hit u back.. Instead give him reasons.. Like : please don't do this, coz it's unhealthy , instead of saying NO

Some exciting games of his interest should also keep him busy... When you observe that he is about to get aggressive, immediately you can show loads of enthusiasm and tell him "come let's do something new and exciting".

Handling a child this age can be unnerving most times, coz this is exactly d time when they start getting rebellious... Plz stop feeling guilty for having slapped him, at the same time, plz stop doing it too, because it wouldn't make him understand the situation and moreover he might get more stubborn and aggressive... When my girl was going through this phase I used to leave her crying m used to tell her, plz cry as much as u want but mumma won't listen if u cry, if u want to talk we can discuss what u want... I never gave in to my girl no matter what, when she cried.. Even today when she is 4 and cries, she knws only once she stops crying, is when we can discuss things... It's totally understandable how u feel when ur child is aggressive, when such things happen give him space, and u take urs too, else u wud go insane... I remember my time and I knw how difficult it can get to keep ur cool...

also like i always say....over exposure spoils a lot of things... try to leave the child alone for a while ....if it is not possible to go out alone...sit in two different rooms and get busy in separate activities

you are a great mother Aditi. the first thing you need to stop doing is to tell yourself that you are not doing enough. ask yourself, are you not doing enough? you know the answer , you are doing all you can. I have seen your son and I k ow he gets very aggressive. there can be two contributing factor tors, one his own nature, two he has learnt it from you or other close care takers. so the first thing you do is you completely stop hitting your child. I k ow his behaviour gets too much, but walk away from the situation till he calms down and tell him that you will avoid him if he continues this behaviour of hitting you. he will take time to understand but the more firmly(not angrily) you say this to him, the quickly he will absorb. if he does not show interest in any activity-based great! then identify his favourite toys or what he likes to do and join him, even if it means taking a bath together or just running around the house. identify points that make him angry and try to avoid those situations. if he is angry when hungry or sleepy, teach him to signal to you, or you keep a time based notice of his schedule and provide for his needs accordingly. this age is a good age to help him modify his behaviour as the older he gets, the stronger his behaviour pattern be.