Oh Jo you poor thing. Harry was (is) very similar to Kaleb. He is getting better at social situations now he is older but he could be very difficult when he was younger. I felt exactly the same as you do and I did tend to avoid things like play group and mother's group because of it. I stopped going to mothers group after I had Grace because he was too rough around the babies - not that he didn't like babies, he just didn't understand to be gentle and naturally the mothers were less than impressed so I never went back. Anyway I use time out or the naughty corner (whatever you want to call it) and now that he is older I can give him consequences - like 'if you do that again we will go home'. As for whether to persist in socialising, it does depend on the situation - as I said, I stopped going to mother's group but I thought that best considering there were small babies and the mothers did not like having a rowdy toddler around. If you are starting to dread going then maybe stop for a while, but at the same time Kaleb is not going to learn how to play nicely around other kids unless he is put in social situations. I am sorry I don't really have an answer for you, but don't think it's anything you've done, he really is acting normally and it will pass as he grows and learns how to handle his emotions better. But if play group is starting to stress you out then maybe have a break from it.

Bon