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Dd screams for hours if she doesn't get her own way

734 replies

whatswiththerain · 11/09/2024 20:06

We are so exhausted with it. We put her to bed and she (dd6) will demand a drink/snack/toy/phone and scream for hours refusing to go to bed until she gets what she wants.
Of course we try not to give in but she won't stop and there gets a point where we can't take any more and give in so when we try and be stronger the next time she just fights for longer.
It's every night and bedtime is just an example, tonight she had spaghetti bolognaise and wanted cheese on top she got that and ate the cheese first and screamed and refused to eat anymore without more cheese.
If we give a consequence she'll scream and scream about it and as much as we know giving in is the problem, it's become so much of a problem that it takes over the whole evening and nighttime until we are so exhausted with her we just have to give in because we have no energy left and need to go to bed.
I know we've done this ourselves but I don't know to change it now it's done.

OP posts:
eggplant16 · 15/09/2024 13:05

Blimey .....disorders, choices, phones, cheese. Its all going on.

rosyAndMoo · 15/09/2024 11:01

instead of giving in, try giving her a simple choice. You can have more cheese or you can have a pudding, but you can’t have both.which do you want?

arrange for the older sibling to have a sleep over, you and hubby take it in turns to tag team and don’t give in. She wants a drink, there is water available. Anything else is a no. She wants food, you have had dinner if you chose not to eat it, the answer is no. You can have a quick wee, back to bed. If she asks again the answer is no. Keep saying no and taking her back to bed. Let her scream all night if needs be. Once you’ve broken the pattern once, it will be easier to do over and over each time. She may feel she is missing out. So perhaps tell her that you are only going to be watching the news downstairs (or something she would consider equally boring)

good luck

Arran2024 · 15/09/2024 10:41

Stepawayfromthefridgenow · 15/09/2024 00:29

@Arran2024 Was your Dd diagnosed with anything?

Yes. PDA ( pathological demand avoidance syndrome). I don't want to diagnose your daughter but you might want to look into it.

CathyFitzs · 15/09/2024 09:48

Hi, my daughter had a similar problem. When her child screamed like this they took a favourite toy away( make it something she really likes, not just one from the toy cupboard!) and he way told that it would be returned until the following morning ( provided he wasn’t screaming at the time of course). This sounds quite punitive but I assure you it worked a treat . He also hit out when he was screaming- does your daughter do this or does she just scream? It’s really hard for you but stay firm and please don’t give in to these demands. She is out of control and deep down she doesn’t enjoy feeling like that so you’re acting in her best interests. When she is calm then talk through what happened, not criticising her but saying you know it’s difficult not to always have what one wants but screaming will make her feel worse. Always praise her when she’s calm. Good luck

petrometro · 15/09/2024 09:26

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sanityisamyth · 15/09/2024 09:04

OP hasn't been back since Wednesday ...

Lisa2258 · 15/09/2024 07:58

Nip it in the bud NOW...trust me ...I was you ...now I have a 21 year old who still screams and acts like a 2 year old if she doesn't get her way.....

Makingchocolatecake · 15/09/2024 07:51

You could also try a reverse reward chart, where she starts with X amount of time doing something she liked, for every 10 minutes screaming she loses 10 minutes. Every time she accepts no she gains 5 minutes back. Make it a visual thing but high up/digital/back up version so she can't mess with it.

Makingchocolatecake · 15/09/2024 07:48

This is learnt behaviour. When she is angry and screaming do you give her clear choices (not what she is screaming for)? Ie. You can play in your bedroom quietly or read a book downstairs, but vary the choices each time. Eventually she will give up screaming and pick a different option.

Planned ignore is great. Just need to be consistent.

Cyb3rg4l · 15/09/2024 01:38

whatswiththerain · 11/09/2024 20:14

She is meant to have her friend come over on Saturday so we've said she won't get to but she shouts no and screams and fights about it, she has such anger and hatred in her and won't calm down until she gets her way.

You know why she’s like this, she didn’t just wake up this way one day. You are the adults and you are in charge - it’s going to be upsetting for everyone for a while enforcing rules now when you’ve taught her these tactics work for years but you have to draw a line, set the rules and stick to them and not cave to her demands. She isn’t full of hatred for you, she is frustrated and angry that she’s not getting her own way. Taking the easy way out with her is building future problems for you and her both. This won’t be a quick fix but you need to commit to seeing it through.
No cheese means no cheese and if she won’t eat and is rude it’s a time out in a safe space. If she apologises after time out she gets the rest of her supper. If she doesn’t she goes hungry. Do not offer alternatives
bedtime is bedtime - predictable routine before bed, if she shouts from in bed ignore her, if she gets up keep putting her back as many times as it takes. Do not engage with her just take her back to bed
Will likely be hell for a few days - stay calm, stick to it and wear noise cancelling headphones and ignore all pangs of maternal guilt and worries she will hate you or stop loving you. She’ll likely say she will (because it pushes your buttons) but she won’t. Change is hard!

ErinBell01 · 15/09/2024 01:19

PeepDeBeaul · 12/09/2024 21:19

reward reward reward....every little tiny peace of good behaviour should be noticed and rewarded. a hug, a thank you, and well done are all great rewards. Screaming is working. She needs to be taught that being nice gets her what she wants. You need to look at how you handle these tantrums...ignore the behaviour you don't want, reward what you do want. Even punishing her is acknowledging the bad behaviour, so the best thing to do is act like its not happening.

Basic animal training. Rewarding good behaviour is far more powerful than punishing bad behaviour.

JFDIYOLO · 15/09/2024 01:03

Ways to behave, boundaries and immediate consequences need to be clear, consistent and understandable.

Delayed retribution like only giving her a piece of cheese the following night won't work because her brain won't connect the late consequences with the previous day's behaviour. And if she's been good all day, the perceived unfairness will hit hard.

Angry emotional reactions like chucking her dinner away and dragging her to bed are the adult equivalent of screaming. Don't use unpleasant power to force behaviour (which is what she's currently doing to you).

Get together with your husband and agree your strategy and share it with grandparents, teachers, etc, and stick to it.

Limit that phone - you've already said responses here have given you pause for thought.

Have set phrases and standard procedures you both reach for, so your actions aren't driven by exasperation or despair.

And always remember, you're creating a child and a teen who'll want friends, a young woman who'll want relationships, maybe partner and kids, colleagues.

Help your child to not become the adult whose behaviour gets complained about here on Mumsnet!

Have a trawl for books on parenting young children and adolescents - there'll be two of them in the house before you know it, and educating yourself will only benefit you all.

Incidentally - how much attention is your 'well behaved' older child getting, while the screamer has the spotlight firmly pulled onto herself?

Stepawayfromthefridgenow · 15/09/2024 00:29

@Arran2024 Was your Dd diagnosed with anything?

Susan146 · 14/09/2024 22:47

Watch Super Nanny deal with this behaviour. She’s probably on the internet somewhere.

Arran2024 · 14/09/2024 22:23

I would suggest you speak to your GP and be referred to camhs. I have two daughters. One was incredibly challenging. I am absolutely not trying to diagnose your child, but what you describe suggests to me that it would be worth getting some support. Have you come across the book 'The Explosive Child'? That would be a great place to start. I would not go down the escalation route that some others are proposing -think of her behaviour as more of a panic attack and then you might be able to respond differently.

ClaredeBear · 14/09/2024 21:21

whatswiththerain · 11/09/2024 20:14

She is meant to have her friend come over on Saturday so we've said she won't get to but she shouts no and screams and fights about it, she has such anger and hatred in her and won't calm down until she gets her way.

She has anger and hatred because she has no boundaries.

sanityisamyth · 14/09/2024 19:25

pestowithwalnuts · 14/09/2024 18:12

What's she like in a restaurant ?

I don't think OP is coming back ...

Dewix · 14/09/2024 19:06

Stick to your guns.

You have to ride out the screams.

Also punish her for screaming at you. Say an earlier bed time, no TV or something else she would not like to change or have taken away.

If you stick to it you will establish boundaries & make life much better for all of you, DD included.

Georgyporky · 14/09/2024 18:55

pestowithwalnuts · 14/09/2024 18:12

What's she like in a restaurant ?

I do hope the parents never take her to one !

pestowithwalnuts · 14/09/2024 18:12

What's she like in a restaurant ?

WearyAuldWumman · 14/09/2024 18:03

Sorry- phone typos.

WearyAuldWumman · 14/09/2024 18:02

Re: treats.

What about the well-behaved sister?

I worked in a school where the ‘bad boys’ got treats for being ‘good’. A group of well-behaved children complained that boys were being rewarded for bad behaviour.

Head of Behaviour Support: No, no. They’re being treat for GOOD behaviour.

Unconvinced pupil: Aye, but they’ve god to be bad FIRST, haven’t they?

Checkandcheckagain · 14/09/2024 17:13

If she does not eat its not a problem she won't stave herself, Let her scream but tell her if she does you will have to ... choose your consequences and stick with it. If she is well behaved the reward will be...

Lavenderblue11 · 14/09/2024 14:29

The saying 'made a rod for your own back' springs to mind. STOP giving into her demands, take favourite toys away as punishment until she learns, if you don't master this now, God help you for the future.

Lavenderblue11 · 14/09/2024 14:26

Branleuse · 11/09/2024 20:14

I know its just an example you used but i think it's pretty normal to want cheese on spag bol. I am not sure why that one became an argument?

Could you make sure you take a drink and a biscuit up to bed with her?
Do you think the return to school might be a factor?

She had already HAD cheese on the spaghetti bol, which she'd eaten, she was kicking off because she wanted more!

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