Moody 8 year old -- HELP

[knakered]

Our house sounds like this all of the time ds1"stop it, stop it youre annoying me" to DS2...this goes on all day with a high pitched whine in order to get my attention...then as it escalates I pitch in to DS1 ""stop it...stop saying stop it...you are annoying ME"....then DS1 says "you dont love me...you always tell me off when X is annoying me""....can anyone suggest a way out of the broken record spiral?

nooo, 8 year olds are lovely. Well thats what I want to believe as my baby is going to be 8 on Monday.

DD 6 yr old can moan and moan. It reached new hieghts over the weekend after going back to school. She gets annoyed with ds. Upsets me because she seems to have no tolerance for him when I know with her friends she is wonderfully kind, polite. When I hear the moaning at ds I tell her she must speak to him properly, explain to him nicely. eg when she moans at him for standing in front of tv she has to stay 'ds please could you move away from the tv'. If she doesn't its time out. If she moans at me I refuse to answer until she speaks 'properly'.

I think the root of moaning though can be insecurity. Hence dds has increased since she went back to school leaving me and ds at home together. So it is a two handed approach of lots of praise, fun and reassurance in the times in between the moaing. Plus I make sure she gets time on her own with me without ds.

Good luck - I now how wearing the moaning and whinging is.