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I’ve said something terrible to my daughter and I feel absolutely awful for it!

197 replies

Bestofthebestt · 19/03/2022 13:06

My daughter is 5 years old and although she’s an amazing, funny and kind little girl, I really, really struggle with her screaming tantrums.

They have been an issue since she was really small. If something doesn’t go her way, her instant response to that is to scream! And I mean scream!

We never give into the screaming and have had meetings with school etc who have given us strategies to help and we have had some successes with those but some days it can be absolutely relentless.

The other day, she was screaming again over something so trivial. I’m not a shouter and I’ve never smacked my kids either but I did hit breaking point and said something I really regret. I had tried all of the strategies but the screaming was getting louder and louder. I said to her that screaming like that is not okay. I explained that the neighbours would worry what was going on. I said “what if they call the police?” “What if the police think you’re not safe because of all of this screaming and think they need to take you away.” I’ve tried so many things to get to grips with this and just at this point, wanted the screaming to stop. My older daughter actually had to put ear defenders on because the noise was so loud. What I said had no impact on the screaming and DD didn’t appear to even care but I feel like the worst mum and parent for the fact that I’ve said this to her.

I had a chat with DD later and explained this wouldn’t happen and to be honest, she doesn’t seem to have given it a second thought.

I mean, what sort of mum says that to their child? I just feel wracked with guilt. I’m not even sure why I’m posting. I just hate myself for how I’ve handled this.

OP posts:
Clarabe1 · 19/03/2022 15:08

Ok I am going to say it and I will get flamed but here goes. I know autism exists because I am the child of an autistic parent ( it runs in the family) However reading Mumsnet you would think that virtually every kid is ND. No they are not- we ALL have autistic traits. That why it is called a spectrum. I read it every day ‘ my kid just set fire to the living room but we think he may have ND traits’ I agree with the poster saying stop labelling your kids. Sometimes bad behaviour is just that. Really bad autism which I have no doubt some of your kids have is fucking awful and you will know it if you child has it. It’s more than throwing tantrums for attention - because that’s what you keep giving her OP every time she behaves like that.

GoodnessTruthBeauty · 19/03/2022 15:09

@DrDinosaur I would imagine that has all been tried for a long period and hasn't worked. This is a mother who started a thread because she has tried all the normal behavior modification for years and nothing has worked. That's why there are suggestions that they may be an important piece of information that is missing from the equation.

CinnamonJellyBeans · 19/03/2022 15:11

I'm not so sure the OP needs to get an ND label stuck on so soon. DD2 grew out of it (after a few years - give me a medal) and is extremely NT. Far more so than DD1.

Lookingforanswers202 · 19/03/2022 15:12

@Clarabe1

Ok I am going to say it and I will get flamed but here goes. I know autism exists because I am the child of an autistic parent ( it runs in the family) However reading Mumsnet you would think that virtually every kid is ND. No they are not- we ALL have autistic traits. That why it is called a spectrum. I read it every day ‘ my kid just set fire to the living room but we think he may have ND traits’ I agree with the poster saying stop labelling your kids. Sometimes bad behaviour is just that. Really bad autism which I have no doubt some of your kids have is fucking awful and you will know it if you child has it. It’s more than throwing tantrums for attention - because that’s what you keep giving her OP every time she behaves like that.
We do not all have autistic traits and I suggest you do some reading up on what the spectrum it.
itsgettingweird · 19/03/2022 15:14

@Clarabe1

Ok I am going to say it and I will get flamed but here goes. I know autism exists because I am the child of an autistic parent ( it runs in the family) However reading Mumsnet you would think that virtually every kid is ND. No they are not- we ALL have autistic traits. That why it is called a spectrum. I read it every day ‘ my kid just set fire to the living room but we think he may have ND traits’ I agree with the poster saying stop labelling your kids. Sometimes bad behaviour is just that. Really bad autism which I have no doubt some of your kids have is fucking awful and you will know it if you child has it. It’s more than throwing tantrums for attention - because that’s what you keep giving her OP every time she behaves like that.
We don't all have autistic traits 🤔 autistic people n the spectrum have a spectrum of the traits of varying severity. But to be autistic you have ti have behaviours that impact on your day to day life.

To say everyone has autistic traits demonises the real struggles those with autism experience - often even more so for those who are so-called high functioning and are just living an acted life I. Public to be what society perceives we should be.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 19/03/2022 15:14

There is nothing wrong with what you said, it is the truth. Neighbours COULD get concerned and report to social services.

I think some kids have a very strong sense of right and wrong or unfairness. And something that might seem very trivial to an adult may be huge in a child's head. I do think that sometimes they just want to have their feelings acknowledged, rather than dismissed as silly or trivial. Or they get very frustrated at a parent just saying "no" or "because I said so" to a request when there is no good reason for it.

I have known some parents make a habit of saying an immediate and to the point "no" to a child just because they can't be bothered with a lengthier discussion about it, or because they think they are too busy to do the very quick and simple thing that their child asked for, or simply because they as an adult didn't think the thing was worth doing. It becomes a default answer, and no wonder the child gets frustrated, they have no choice in anything.

I'm not saying that is you, OP. But with my kids when they were little I've always tried to get in their head and understand where they were coming from. I am not a soft parent and have very strict boundaries (but I've never been scared to change my mind about allowing something, on reflection, as long as it's with a good explanation to the child about why I've changed my mind, so they know it's not just you "giving in" to their demands.)

So, for example, OP, you say your DD has meltdowns at trivial things. Could you try seeing them instead as being very important to her rather than see it from an adult point of view? Might that change how you react to her requests etc? So if something she's building goes a bit wrong, rather than see it from an adult point of view and think "oh fgs, what does it matter, she can easily do another one in two mins, this is a total overreaction and I haven't got time to help her because I'm trying to cook dinner", try and get in her head and see how it might make her feel like a failure, defeated, frustrated etc.

I don't know, maybe it might not help. Maybe you've tried it. But sometimes just trying to put yourself in their shoes,and just acknowledging their frustration, vocalising it to them, might help.

eg. "Ah, what a nuisance that it fell down, that can sometimes be VERY upsetting, can't it, when that happens? It was a lovely thing that you made, you're right, I was admiring it while I was peeling the potatoes, but I bet we can build one together that's just as good if not even better, would you like me to help you, or shall I just watch you?"

Some kids are naturally resilient and just pick themselves up and get on with frustrations. For other sensitive or SEN children it's a major thing and just having an adult acknowledge their feelings really helps.

I hope that doesn't come across as patronising....and you might be already doing all these things anyway....

JudgeJ · 19/03/2022 15:15

@Lookingforanswers202

We all hit our limit sometimes, you mention ear defenders so I can see you are already aware of children with sensory differences, sounds like your 5 year old also fits into that category too.
The OP needs some ear defenders, maybe if the 5 year old sees she isn't getting a reaction she may decide it's not worth it.
IncompleteSenten · 19/03/2022 15:16

No we do not all have autistic traits.
Only people with autism have autistic behaviours.

Nosetickle · 19/03/2022 15:19

@Clarabe1 absolutely agree with you. ASD is thrown around so much on these boards whenever someone has a child who shows slightly inconvenient and undesirable behaviour. It gets tiresome. Children are not going to behave impeccably all the time, that is just not a realistic expectation. And exasperated grown ups are going to lose their temper and say things they wish they hadn’t in the heat of the moment, that is to be expected too. It’s all completely normal. No wonder there’s such a long waiting list for people to get diagnosed with learning difficulties if when the going gets slightly tough we look for a label.

Lookingforanswers202 · 19/03/2022 15:21

Or perhaps ASD is under diagnosed? It is not a label.

minniesdragg · 19/03/2022 15:22

I cant believe some of these responses, OP says she's a kind and sweet child, she has an excellent caring mum so there HAS to be something else going on. Stands to reason. The wee thing, I hope you find a way through it soon for both your sakes. x

Theunamedcat · 19/03/2022 15:22

Yeah my daughter had a small cup of water dumped on her head for screeching like a fucking banshee demanding water now literally as soon as she asked (I was in the kitchen anyway) I picked up a cup and got her some but she screaming screeched and went apocalyptic now now NOW! total flip out I dumped it over her head refilled the cup and handed it too her walked away very carefully she drank it carefully dried off her face we didn't speak to each other for about half an hour till she said I'm sorry I said me too let's not do that again we agreed hugged and it was done but I tore myself up over it for ages but it could have been worse my parents used to beat me for less fortunately im not my parents

Verity226 · 19/03/2022 15:23

Bloody hell I must say this on a weekly basis, god knows what that makes me then.

BoldMove · 19/03/2022 15:24

RedRobin100 Grin I wish my neighbour would try this one of her dds is constantly screaming and drives me nuts!
Don't worry OP your dd has probably forgotten all about it whilst you've added to your own stress. Just take her to her bedroom shut the door and walk away. She'll soon get fed up.

waitingpatientlyforspring · 19/03/2022 15:24

I said similar to my daughter who used to scream so badly when she had her hair brushed and put up for school.

I never felt bad and she was not impacted by me saying.

SnowyPetals · 19/03/2022 15:28

@SpiderinaWingMirror

I think it does no harm for kids to realise that adults have limits.
Absolutely this. It is not OK for your DD to scream the place down on a regular basis. Perhaps what you said might highlight this. I would have said a lot worse by this point I think.
nancyclancy123 · 19/03/2022 15:32

My dd is a screamer and honestly I’ve said some much worse things to her, not that I’m proud of it. It is extremely difficult to ignore because it’s so ear piercing and has at times left me completely unhinged.
She does have ASD and although she still does it, I don’t think she’s doing it quite as much. I can cope with everything else but the bloody scream.

Clarabe1 · 19/03/2022 15:32

@itsgettingweird when I say we all have autistic traits I mean if you google the list of symptoms. Oooh don’t like loud noises ..I must be autistic! I once googled my bad back and got told to to ring 999 because it could be a cardiac. This is my point - everyone jumps on autism and a lot of the time it isn’t. 5 year old kids are little sods and have challenging behaviour- why is op even considering autism??

Lookingforanswers202 · 19/03/2022 15:35

@Clarabe1 traits not symptoms. If you want to support your autistic parent I suggest you educate yourself.

GirlsTalk250 · 19/03/2022 15:35

Have you got ear defenders yourself? If you don’t have the screaming noise cutting through you, it may help to keep you calm and de-escalate things or ignore her.

However I feel for you if the screaming is so regular that your other DD needs ear defenders.

But I don’t think what you said to your DD was bad. She is nearly 6. It is true, and she needs to be aware that her perpetual screaming could have serious consequences.

Eyedropeyeflop · 19/03/2022 15:40

Forgive yourself. My daughter was similar at 5. It was only when I truly dropped the guilt and really came down on her like a ton of bricks did she finally start to stop. On reflection she is a child who needs very firm boundaries.

She was much happier for it (and more well behaved).

She’s 10 now and still needs firm boundaries but on the whole she is lovely. She would dominate me if she could mind (but she’s not allowed which is unfortunate for her lol).

Seriously….. forgive yourself.

Clarabe1 · 19/03/2022 15:41

@Lookingforanswers202 oh do me a favour! Don’t even start to lecture me about autism. I have had 49 years of it. In and out of i hospitals, acute psychiatric care, suicide attempts. The years of struggling to get someone to even listen and help us. So I got the terminology wrong?? I have spent my life supporting my father. Don’t talk to me about support, it’s all I have ever done.

Thamesis · 19/03/2022 15:43

Flowers for you OP, that sounds really tough. My son has autistic traits (as assesses by paed) and was a handful with regular meltdowns age 5-11, tailed off after that.

If he had screamed as well I think I would have left home Grin. Hold on OP, you're doing great.

Pumperthepumper · 19/03/2022 15:46

[quote Clarabe1]@itsgettingweird when I say we all have autistic traits I mean if you google the list of symptoms. Oooh don’t like loud noises ..I must be autistic! I once googled my bad back and got told to to ring 999 because it could be a cardiac. This is my point - everyone jumps on autism and a lot of the time it isn’t. 5 year old kids are little sods and have challenging behaviour- why is op even considering autism??[/quote]
Because screaming like that is not behaviour that the average five year old displays. I’m not saying the OP’s kid is autistic - but that level of response indicates a need for something, and a disproportionate emotion to whatever that thing is. So even if it’s ‘just attention’ or ‘being a little sod’ - why that response?

WheekestLink · 19/03/2022 15:48

That's really not a bad thing to say and it is true that the police could be called! I have used this in my desperate moments and it works.

We also had a lot of "you hit me, you just hit me" loudly when I am actually the one being attacked by her. I told her (and I'm not ashamed) that if the police thought that her parent had hit her, they would get involved and they wouldn't want her to live with someone who did that. One time a police car was actually passing by on the motorway near our house, which was so convenient...she's never tried that again!

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