[jkvkdailey]

Hi Everyone

I have 2 wonderful boys - Vince is 5 1/2 and Kevin is 1 1/2. Unfortunately, Vince has recently developed an attitude about nearly everything. He can be a very good boy, but the neighbors across the street won't allow him to play with their boys (ages 6 and 4) anymore because he picks on them. We have the fun toys in our yard (trampoline and swing set), and when one of the other neighbor boys (also age 6) is here, Vince idolizes him and treats the other kids poorly - tells them they are dumb because they can't do cool tricks like the other neighbor boy can. I have had numerous discussions with him about it, but nothing seems to work. My office window is near the trampoline, so I hear Vince and the neighbor boy pick on the other neighbor kids, and I put a stop to it, but it still doesn't change the fact that he does it. I punish him (kids are sent home, he comes in the house), but that also doesn't seem to phase him. I hate to think that my boy is a bully, and I don't know how to tell him that the kid he idolizes isn't "all that". Any words of advice to get me through this phase?

Kim

p.s. We haven't spoken to the neighbors in 3 weeks now, do I try to fix that too or let it go (I apologized to the parents and Vince apologized to the kids).