AIBU to think this is worrying? My 10yo DNiece recently visited for a week. She must have asked me about ten times if I was angry with her, and "jokingly" accusing me and others of "hating her" and "finding her annoying". Whilst I absolutely love and adore her, I must admit I did start to get slightly annoyed towards the end, as there are only so many times you can reassure someone that you don't hate them, and her insecure behaviour is a little bit annoying. For example, she has a habit of making silly faces and noises (such as snorting or fake laughing) all the time and she talks incessantly in different voices and accents and makes awkward jokes on her own expense. She's very preoccupied with herself and how she comes across and I think the "silly" act is some sort of defence. Her older sister is very popular and conventionally pretty and her mother is very beautiful and I think she's trying to make herself deliberately "ugly" so she doesn't get judged for not being as pretty as they are. She doesn't look after herself - doesn't brush her hair or wear clean clothes unless prompted. She has had headlice for years. Her DM never seems to be able to get rid of them.
I don't know if all this is normal in ten year old girls? Maybe it is. I recognise myself as a child in DN, but I was a very unhappy child, which I have always attributed to growing up with very unhappy parents. DNs parents have some MH problems which they're being treated for but I don't feel that anyone takes DNs issues seriously. AIBU? Is there anything I can do? She lives in another country so we don't see each other often.