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one step forward two steps back

11 replies

kmarie100 · 11/08/2014 08:08

Please tell me that it's ok to make progress but then have problems again. Seems to be one step forwards and two steps back.
We've being having attachment difficulties with DD (nearly 3yrs old) since she arrived at the begining of the year. She has nightmares and never wants me to comfort her at night...I usually get screamed at to go away and that she doesn't want me in her room. Last night she had one but she let me comfort her I held her hand while she settled down again. Went to bed feeling that we had made progress. But then this morning she was having an argument with my DS2 I tried to bring her away from it so it wouldn't escalate and I was screamed at that she didn't want me etc. Attempted to say that mummy was helping to keep her safe and that's what mummys do but she just screamed that she dosen't want mummys help.
Feeling so deflated.
Also I wondered if any one else have had LO's shouting things at them like, don't want you, go away, how do u handle it? Ie, ignore v's tell them it's not nice to say that or punish (time out/in) for shouting at u?

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 11/08/2014 09:04

No I would never punish a child for telling me how they feel. Why is it not "nice" to say she doesn't want your help? Confused Unless I have missed something. I mean that I can understand that you find it hurtful that she struggles to accept help from you and you can certainly talk about using "indoor voices" if she's shouting.

But I suspect that beginning to accept comfort from you at night when she's distressed (which seems a big move forward to me) is not at all related to having a hissy fit when you are stopping her doing something.

I think 3 is just about old enough to give her the "choices" idea.

"Mummy will always be here to help you though you can choose not the take my help"

I talked with DS about good "choices" at about the time he started nursery and it proved to be very effective.

Kewcumber · 11/08/2014 09:05

nd I don;t think this is at all one step forwards two back - I would say two steps forward and one sideways!

slkk · 11/08/2014 09:09

Sometimes when ds is having a tantrum he cries mummy and reaches for me but if I approach he screams no. If I withdraw he cries and reaches for me again. Seems to be some sort of internal battle. At other times attachment seems ok. I just try and stay consistently available to him. Not sure I've got a lot of advice but you are not alone in this!

redfishbluefish · 11/08/2014 09:21

Sometimes when DS gets upset he has said he doesn't want me or DH, and we always respond gently but we want you/I want you/he wants you/etc.

Agree with Kew-you can talk about 'indoor voices', which we definitely do here and DS gets that, even if sometimes he forgets! If he is shouting because he's upset, once I help him to calm down, I ask for an apology for shouting. We have 'quiet time' until he is ready to do so, and then I thank him and give him a hug. This works for us, although it can be tough sometimes!

kmarie100 · 11/08/2014 12:20

Thankyou for your replies. It might not really be two steps back, the night time thing is such a big step forward but I suppose we don't know if she'll accept comfort tonight. This is just last nights/this mornings examples for how we seem to make progress and then back to not wanting me again. Maybe I just expected a more even gradual improvement than what's happening. I have a backgroung in physical rehab and that type of progress makes more sence to me than this. I will try "indoor voice" and "choices" but not sure she'll understand this yet.
Thanks again.

OP posts:
Kewcumber · 11/08/2014 13:06

Even if she doesn't understand "choices" she must be close to it developmentally (assume her developmental stages are close to typical. DS was developmentally quite behind at 3 (for example he couldn't really say more than a few words and was extemely hard to understand) but he did pick up the idea of "choosing" to do the right thing (rather then good or bad behaviour) very quickly. It helped that his montessori nursery used "making good choices" as a model rather than "behaviour"

DS is nearly 9 and we are still regressing and progressing in fits and starts!

Squigglypig · 11/08/2014 13:25

I'm not an adopter yet, but my 3 1/2 year old pushes me away and tells me she doesn't like me and doesn't want my help, that she prefers daddy, that I'm a smelly poo-poo head etc probably 3 or 4 times a day. Obviously we have a secure attachment and I don't have the added wondering of whether it's an attachment issue; however for what it's worth the way I handle it is by saying words to the effect: "That's not a very nice thing to say" and re-iterating I love her. I don't bother to punish her for it as I just see them as normal boundary pushing words to get a rise out of me.

It's great that she's let you comfort her at night by holding her hand - you can build on that and perhaps offer the same tonight?

Squigglypig · 11/08/2014 13:33

Also, try and see it as a positive thing, she trusts you enough to try and push you away because she's starting to feel confidence that you'll be there for her forever regardless and I think it's a real sign of the love between you.

Lilka · 11/08/2014 14:02

It's really normal for things to be all over the place - your child seems to be doing really well at once thing, but regresses in another, various steps are taken backwards, forwards, sideways and diagonal all the time, and at a pretty uneven pace. I think for pretty much all families and children, progress is not a linear thing, but a bit of a jumble. That's very very normal. That's definitely how it's been for all my kids.

I would definitely not ever be upset with or 'punish' my child for honestly telling me (or indeed shouting) they didn't want me there - again, that's very normal and I wouldn't expect them to want me at this stage. It is upsetting for us, of course it is, when we are pushed away, but it's common to not want parents. Your DD seems old enough to be talking through 'indoor voices' and talking rather than shouting. If she has just had a nightmare, then I wouldn't expect her to think about talking vs shouting though. If she's stressed and frightened by her nightmare, she won't be able to think things through, and I don't think there's anything wrong with a stressed and anxious child who has just had a nightmare shouting at her mum. (But I know how stressful and upsetting it can be, because I have a child prone to nightmares and sleep issues). Again, if she's got into an argument, that will have been stressful and she's not likely to be able to think things through properly at this point.

At this stage I think this is very normal. I understand how deflating it might feel, but you aren't doing anything wrong and it isn't anything to do with your parenting. Being there and offering the help, even if she refuses it now, is very important in helping her to come to find that she can rely on you. As she is with you for longer, she's likely to want you more and more.

RhinosAreFatUnicorns · 11/08/2014 15:23

DD is 3. In the past months I've been told "me not like you", "you're not my best friend now", "you're boring/horrible etc." and she definitely went through a phase of preferring daddy to me. FWIW she has been home for over 2 years.

The preferring daddy thing whilst upsetting at times was just something we worked through. The other things I explained to her that it wasn't nice to say those, but nothing beyond that.

We also went through a long phase of not wanting my help, but I think that was her gaining some independence.

Hopefully this will pass for you too.

Italiangreyhound · 11/08/2014 16:37

kmarie I can't add much to what others have said but I would definitely see it as a positive she is taking comfort from you, even if not all the time, and as others have said not to be too worried if she does not always want you.

It is very distressing when kids say that but kids say a lot of things and the fact she is willing to say it is positive and means she probably knows you will not leave her.

All the best.

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