After 5 years of screaming, shouting, crying, threatening and generally just feeling abused by my 7 year old (T), I heard about ODD yesterday. As such, here I am trying work out whether that is indeed what my daughter has.
She is incredibly sensitive and finds it hard to make friends because she is always shouting at them and refusing to compromise. On the rare occassions that she does play with other people then it results in her coming home crying and being the "victim" of something or other.
At home she purposely does things to annoy me and will wind her older sister up until she is in tears.
T refuses to listen to anything I tell her to do and smirks at me when I get worked up because she is not listening. If, on the occassions that I get to the point of tears, she laughs at me and tells me that she is glad she has made me cry.
I have begged, cajoled, shouted, threatened, bribed (to name but a few) in order to get her to cooperate with the rules in our house and a rewards chart simply doesn't work.
I am at the end of my tether. Her father says that it is my fault, because she is just being a normal kid - BUT my eldest daughter didn't behave in any of these ways and my sixth sense just TELLS me that there is something "not normal" about T's behaviour.
I love her with all of my heart, but it has gotten to the stage where I don't like her and I try to avoid being in the same room as her.
The fact that she blames me for every single little thing in her life (even when it is something that upset her on TV and NOTHING to do with me!!!!!!!!) has resulted in me questioning my own sanity and parenting skills and leaves me feeling almost "bullied" by her. I hate to admit that of a 7 year old, but I am at the end of my rope and simply cannot cope with yet another day of being told that I am a crap mother who can't do anything right.
Interestingly, she is a little star at school in relation to her teachers and actively seeks ways to please them.
PLEASE can someone tell me if this sounds like ODD and if so, where does one go for support. I obviously need to learn new techniques in dealing with her and I will happily do so.
Clare
She is incredibly sensitive and finds it hard to make friends because she is always shouting at them and refusing to compromise. On the rare occassions that she does play with other people then it results in her coming home crying and being the "victim" of something or other.
At home she purposely does things to annoy me and will wind her older sister up until she is in tears.
T refuses to listen to anything I tell her to do and smirks at me when I get worked up because she is not listening. If, on the occassions that I get to the point of tears, she laughs at me and tells me that she is glad she has made me cry.
I have begged, cajoled, shouted, threatened, bribed (to name but a few) in order to get her to cooperate with the rules in our house and a rewards chart simply doesn't work.
I am at the end of my tether. Her father says that it is my fault, because she is just being a normal kid - BUT my eldest daughter didn't behave in any of these ways and my sixth sense just TELLS me that there is something "not normal" about T's behaviour.
I love her with all of my heart, but it has gotten to the stage where I don't like her and I try to avoid being in the same room as her.
The fact that she blames me for every single little thing in her life (even when it is something that upset her on TV and NOTHING to do with me!!!!!!!!) has resulted in me questioning my own sanity and parenting skills and leaves me feeling almost "bullied" by her. I hate to admit that of a 7 year old, but I am at the end of my rope and simply cannot cope with yet another day of being told that I am a crap mother who can't do anything right.
Interestingly, she is a little star at school in relation to her teachers and actively seeks ways to please them.
PLEASE can someone tell me if this sounds like ODD and if so, where does one go for support. I obviously need to learn new techniques in dealing with her and I will happily do so.
Clare