Hi everyone, just looking for some advice and am willing to be told where I’m going wrong!
My 4 year old DD has gone from a polite, easy going little girl to what I can only describe as a nightmare, from waking until bedtime. As soon as she gets up on a morning there is a barrage of constant demands for snacks, to be played with, to do something she wants to do, and if I say no or ask her to wait she immediately hates me/wants a different mam/calls me names such as ugly or begins trying to physically hurt me. When this happens I obviously remind her we don’t hit or call people names and explain I won’t talk to her unless she stops shouting at me.
She resists everything to the point I feel like giving up even trying. For example, last night she needed a bath and was fine until I ran it and it was time to get in - this started the biggest screaming meltdown, trying to get the water out of the bath, throwing it at me etc. Again this ended up with her trying to dig her nails into me and telling me she hates me.
Bedtime is a daily battle with the aforementioned screaming/name calling and physical attacks, and I end up crying out of frustration almost every night when she is finally asleep. I have tried so many things to ease the bedtime routine but nothing seems to help and she’s often awake til around 10pm. She won’t nap during the day so I understand she may be overtired but I just can’t seem to break this cycle of not sleeping until late.
Nursery and GP have suggested the possibility of ADHD (her dad is diagnosed and on medication), but if there’s any advice or tips to just ease the constant tantrums and nastiness I would be so grateful.
She is currently at nursery Mon-Fri on a morning and I am a single parent with not much help from the outside.
Sorry this is such a long post, I just feel at my limit and would appreciate some advice