CadreJane
Household 6
As with most members of this forum, I can safely assume that someone can relate to my desperate need of support right now.
I have a 9 year old daughter with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), ADHD and Mood Disorder. Being the only one within my group of "friends" that has a child, people seem completely puzzled with my child's behavior. I really have NOBODY (except a therapist) who might be able to understand how and what I feel. I'm not even sure if what I feel or what my daughter does is normal.
My daughter has been in childcare since she was 6 weeks old (military) and has Reactive Attachment Disorder as a result. Maybe this paved the emotional road to her mood disorder, I don't know. What I do know is that since she has been able to walk, she has been able to throw tantrums that last up to 4 hours. I have even had to restrain her so that she wouldn't hurt herself.
She has absolutely no concept of cause and effect and no regard for the feelings of others. For example, she knows screaming at the top of her lungs is WRONG but when she gets in trouble for doing it, she screams even louder.
She has kicked holes in walls, been expelled from school; she is completely unrational. When she is disappointed in some way, she throws a tantrum and there is no reasoning with her. She screams about screaming and throws so many fits in the course of one tantrum, she can't remember what the original issue was.
The hard part is, she has some sense somewhere. We do not swear and neither does she; whether it's her choice or us rubbing off on her, I don't know.
My daughter is above her grade academically. Sometimes I feel as if maybe I've blown everything out of proportion because she can be so loving and polite. Then she turns into her evil twin who is manipulative, surely and destructive. Then when I think I need to run away from home, she is humming Hannah Montana and giggling.
My daughter has never been raised to get her way; she is not a child of the 'useless plastic gadget' time nor a digital diva. We don't eat junk food and she has NO caffiene.
Seriously, I am going insane questioning my parenting abilities and my own sanity. Is this normal?
What the heck do people do to get through this??
I have a 9 year old daughter with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), ADHD and Mood Disorder. Being the only one within my group of "friends" that has a child, people seem completely puzzled with my child's behavior. I really have NOBODY (except a therapist) who might be able to understand how and what I feel. I'm not even sure if what I feel or what my daughter does is normal.
My daughter has been in childcare since she was 6 weeks old (military) and has Reactive Attachment Disorder as a result. Maybe this paved the emotional road to her mood disorder, I don't know. What I do know is that since she has been able to walk, she has been able to throw tantrums that last up to 4 hours. I have even had to restrain her so that she wouldn't hurt herself.
She has absolutely no concept of cause and effect and no regard for the feelings of others. For example, she knows screaming at the top of her lungs is WRONG but when she gets in trouble for doing it, she screams even louder.
She has kicked holes in walls, been expelled from school; she is completely unrational. When she is disappointed in some way, she throws a tantrum and there is no reasoning with her. She screams about screaming and throws so many fits in the course of one tantrum, she can't remember what the original issue was.
The hard part is, she has some sense somewhere. We do not swear and neither does she; whether it's her choice or us rubbing off on her, I don't know.
My daughter is above her grade academically. Sometimes I feel as if maybe I've blown everything out of proportion because she can be so loving and polite. Then she turns into her evil twin who is manipulative, surely and destructive. Then when I think I need to run away from home, she is humming Hannah Montana and giggling.
My daughter has never been raised to get her way; she is not a child of the 'useless plastic gadget' time nor a digital diva. We don't eat junk food and she has NO caffiene.
Seriously, I am going insane questioning my parenting abilities and my own sanity. Is this normal?
What the heck do people do to get through this??