I want to say thank you for being here. This group seems like a safe place.
My daughter is 10, no diagnosis, I don't know where to start. I don't know if something is wrong or if she is just difficult. I hardly know where to start.
She's always been stubborn, but since she was 4 she has these meltdowns. Any little thing can trigger her rage. She is 10 now, and I feel like a prisoner. She terrorizes me and the other two kids with her emotional whims. It gives me whiplash just watching her mood swings. She can be so sweet, docile, and affectionate. But then, tell her she can't draw comics during school (we homeschool) and she falls apart. Give her a consequence? Screaming at me. Slamming doors, saying she hates me. And always shocked when she gets a consequence- she just can't believe it! I'm so mean. But 10 minutes later she is trying to snuggle, saying she loves me... and I want to push her away.
And then there's the constant whining. Everything I ask her to do is met with groans, wails, or her collapsing to the ground in protest. Everything is a big deal. Nothing is ever just ok.
I used to believe in firm discipline, and I thought if we were just consistent enough she would learn. But by the time she was 8, it was worse than ever. I knew something was wrong. So we backed off and tried all kinds of other approaches. I've tried listening and connecting with her in so many ways. But I've also lost it with her more times than I can count. At this point, I just want to run away from her. I wake up in dread every day, not knowing if it will be one of her good days or bad ones. Her siblings suffer tremendous anxiety since her moods are so dominant. I don't even want to connect with her anymore. I just want to escape. Everyone says "oh you'll miss these days" but I just want her to grow up and leave. And I'm so ashamed I feel like that.
My daughter is 10, no diagnosis, I don't know where to start. I don't know if something is wrong or if she is just difficult. I hardly know where to start.
She's always been stubborn, but since she was 4 she has these meltdowns. Any little thing can trigger her rage. She is 10 now, and I feel like a prisoner. She terrorizes me and the other two kids with her emotional whims. It gives me whiplash just watching her mood swings. She can be so sweet, docile, and affectionate. But then, tell her she can't draw comics during school (we homeschool) and she falls apart. Give her a consequence? Screaming at me. Slamming doors, saying she hates me. And always shocked when she gets a consequence- she just can't believe it! I'm so mean. But 10 minutes later she is trying to snuggle, saying she loves me... and I want to push her away.
And then there's the constant whining. Everything I ask her to do is met with groans, wails, or her collapsing to the ground in protest. Everything is a big deal. Nothing is ever just ok.
I used to believe in firm discipline, and I thought if we were just consistent enough she would learn. But by the time she was 8, it was worse than ever. I knew something was wrong. So we backed off and tried all kinds of other approaches. I've tried listening and connecting with her in so many ways. But I've also lost it with her more times than I can count. At this point, I just want to run away from her. I wake up in dread every day, not knowing if it will be one of her good days or bad ones. Her siblings suffer tremendous anxiety since her moods are so dominant. I don't even want to connect with her anymore. I just want to escape. Everyone says "oh you'll miss these days" but I just want her to grow up and leave. And I'm so ashamed I feel like that.