I’m not proud of this one but god I am struggling with my five (almost 6) year old. She is an adored child - smart, funny, kind, and so well behaved in school or with other people etc (so no one ever believes me when I seek advice on the below).
But in the house…everything is a battle with her. Getting her up in the morning. Getting her ready for school. Getting her to eat her breakfast. Getting her in the car. Eating her tea. In the shower. Out of the shower. Into pjs. Into bed. Every single thing a battle that takes ages longer than it should.
Shes too busy playing and running about, and just completely ignores me really. Or shouts and gets angry about how she’ll do it in a minute and I should stop asking her etc. i have tried reasoning, bribery, shouting and various consequences but it just never gets any better.
5 is a child who “marches to the beat of her own drum” shall we say. She is incredibly strong willed and simply not interested in anyone else’s point of view. It’s her way or no way (I don’t think she is like this in school - just at home she’s a little tyrant). I am desperately trying to get a grip on this because frankly I can’t even imagine how we will manage when she’s 14, but nothing works. I feel like I’m constantly “on” at her and I hate it. I feel like a shitty mum. I have to sit on her floor every night because if I don’t she won’t stay in bed. She simply won’t. Doesn’t care about any consequences in that moment. She’s carrying on and fighting sleep till 10pm and it feels like she’s taking the utter piss out of me.
I am exhausted from work, exhausted from fighting with her and I’m finding that I have less and less patience now. I’m becoming more snappy with her and then of course I beat myself up for it afterwards. I’m just really struggling to find a way to get through to her.