DD 5 has big emotions - advice needed

[OneMellowLemonExpert]

I have twins who are 5. Non identical and about as different as could be.

one of my girls has very big emotions. For instance tonight we were reading a fairly innocuous book about a kitten who accidently hitches a ride with a truck driver. It’s a Usbourne book so really tame with a very happy solution at the end. My DD started asking if the kitten lived with its mummy. I said no she lives with Sam & Poppy.

she then starts asking about our dog (he’s 10 so def not a puppy). She asked who is mummy is and why doesn’t he still live with her. Well things escalated at lightning speed. I gently told her that dogs and cats don’t always stay with their mummies and we are our dogs family now.

Jesus the tears, she was devastated, said his mummy would be sad he doesn’t live with her anymore and he needs to go and find her 🤯 my other daughter then burst into tears saying she didn’t want our dog to leave.

honestly it took us about 20 minutes to calm everyone down.

do 5 year olds suddenly have a rush of hormones? We’re finding this more and more now, DD with the big emotions is getting more and more upset at going to school. Bedtime is horrific, she just wants me to lay with her until she falls asleep. This is all very recent behaviour

does anyone else have children with these big emotions and how do you navigate them?

I don’t have any real advice but that’s adorable and so sweet/clever she’s been thinking about the dogs real parents. 🤍

Can you try and turn it around with humour/deflection?

She is very in tune with her feelings for sure. I did think it showed an emotional maturity in a sense but Jesus it escalated so quickly. It almost had me in tears as well.

My eldest was like this at 5. There was a reading book from school that had to go back as it showed a dog with a hurt paw going to the vet and she couldn't even look at that page.

It does indicate empathy. She is 22 now and still very aware of other people's feelings. But when small as you say that awareness can be overwhelming.

I think you can only do what you should do with all feelings. Acknowledge that they are very real. She is upset about the dog and needs that to be heard. When she is calmer, maybe explore why this upsets her. It may be she is also worried about growing up and leaving you - all mine announced that when they were grown up they were going to move to the house next door! Thankfully that was a phase.