Is it normal for 5/6 yo girls to be this dramatic and weepy?

[SquongebobSparepants]

H and I need reassurance that it's normal for DD1 to cry about every. little. thing. all. bloody. day.
This afternoon we had tears because

• dd2 touched her balloon (even though they were playing catch)
• The toys in the garden might blow away (it's not windy, or raining, and nothing has ever blown away from the garden) this went on for about an hour, and she refused to come in for tea until they were all cleared away
• she might have left something in a restaurant we went to last week. Even though we have discussed this before and she knows she didn't.
• Because she couldn't have another muffin, even though there were only 4 and no-one else was havign another one
• because we sat on dd2's bed to read the bedtime story (they take it in turns)

She isn't crying ALL the time, but it doesn't half feel like it.

She has also started waking 2 or 3 times a night with 'bad dreams' which is exhausting us.

She has just started year 1, is veyr bright, I have started a new job that means I am not here for drop off or pick up but DH normally is, or she has a childminder who she loves. but the tears and drama have been going on all summer when I was home all day.

We are trying to ignore and send her to sit somewhere quiet until she calms down, after we tried to reason with her and found it made her worse.

Any advice/sympathy/reassuracne would be awesome.
tia

Hmmm, my 5 year old drama queen is tall for her age too, frequently mistaken for a 7 year old (which is embarrassing mid-tantrum...). Interesting.

If she is normal with everyone else and reserves this for you, then it is something she knows is guaranteed to get your attention.

Don't give her attention, give her attention when she isn't being dramatic and weepy. When DD goes into drama mode I walk off now. She also does drama classes where she can legitimately work off some of this stuff.

Just to ring the changes a bit ... my 6yo DD is very short for her age. And also weepy, melodramatic, prone to outbursts of temper etc. She also has a "best friend" who is bossy and domineering, which makes DD very frustrated. Which she takes out on us.

Tonight she told me she hated me, which was a first. On the bright side, she also apologised half an hour later, which I think is the first time she's apologised without being nagged. Is that good?

So relieved to read this! Dd1 (5yrs also tall and bright) she is just the same, she wanted the left cup, she missed the first second of music at the beginning of her tv programme, her sister got in the bath first, etc. Etc. Etc.

Spero- what did the psychologist say, I was thinking, until I read this, of taking her to see one. Can it all be put down to tiredness, I used to think so but now not sure?

Absolutely normal. I think they get hormonal rushes far younger than we think, sometimes. Plus they are starting to get weary after the initial three or four weeks at school.

Wow just came back to this and my dd is 8 tomorrow but is also a full head height above just about everyone in her class.
It was hard when she had tantrums when she was younger as she was very articulate and tall but obviously still so young really. I used to feel quite sad for her at times because people did expect an awful lot of her at times.

Another one here (5yo, just started y1, also tall for her age...hmm)

I went into school on Wednesday for a maths workshop, and she had complete hysterics when I had to leave. Clinging onto my leg screaming etc. Luckily the teacher gave her a job to do while I sneaked out - apparently she was fine within seconds.

Won't go into or leave a room in her own - has to have me following her because she's 'scared of empty rooms'. We live in a tiny flat, ffs, so it's not as if she's being abandoned or anything ? I am (or DH is) always within a few feet of her.

I've been worrying it's because she's an only child, but this thread is reassuring me a bit.

My 5yo DD is a little like this- so much worse when she's tired though!

Interestingly this school year she has been better... I think she likes her teacher better this year

littleboxes- my dd used to do that- refuse to go upstairs on her own! She has stopped it in the last 4 mo or so (she's now 5.7)

Wow! Have (tall - surely more than a co-incidence and also pretty articulate) DD1 who is nearly 3 and quite the drama queen. I was rather hoping that she would grown out of this by 5. Looks like we should batten down the hatches for several more years.

Oh yes, and then there's DD2. Also tall. hhmmmm....

Helsbels - I am a bit wary of the psychology route now, my dd has had a lot to deal with recently as her dad has just confirmed he isn't coming back to the UK after 3 years of keeping her dangling so I wondered whether her behaviour was linked to feeling rejected etc.

I think it is inevitable she must feel sad/angry about her dad, but on reading this, it does sound like it's also just a stage that some children go thru. She seems much better now after settling in her new school but the psychologist suggested she might need to have weekly sessions for quite a while which I didn't feel was helpful. I just wanted her to have the option of knowing that she can talk to people about things that were upsetting her.

But if a child is acting in a way that is worrying and it's been going on for a while, I definitely think you should try to get some help/advice from outside the family.