My 8 yo daughter seems to have changed dramatically in the last couple of months. Usually she is so happy and independent but she has become whiny, almost depressed, clingy and completely over emotional. She hates her new junior school, apparently, and complains about getting ready and has to be nagged at length. She is horrid to her siblings and totally jealous and resentful. She has never been much of a crier or a needy child but suddenly she wants to be touching me at all times and cries if I withdraw, she burst into tears tonight because I told her she could brush her own hair and has cried more in the past two months than the last five years for no real reason.
She gets 1:1 time but I honestly don't feel like spending time with her when she cannot be pleasant to us all the rest of the time. She is downright cruel to her 3 yo sister at times imo. My 3 yo has ASC and my 8 yo will purposely do things she knows will cause her great upset/discomfort then grumble about how dd takes up my time and is my favourite.
I praise lots and ignore what I can, I have consistent boundaries and consequences but I honestly am struggling to like her very much at the moment. Her siblings adore her but she is nothing but rude and mean to them. I spend time with her, arrange activities and play dates and most of the time she still looks at me like I'm something she's stepped in. The household is so so much happier when she's at school and though I greet her cheerfully she's just miserable and rude immediately.
Could it be hormones this early on? What's your 8 yo like? Any tips for coping? Besides wine which I can't do because I'm breastfeeding 