*7 year old dd tantrums & tempers & teenage attitude - help!*

[Mummysgoneloopy]

My 7 yo dd has recently started horrific tantrums & has developed (though perhaps has always been bubbling under the surface!) a really bad temper.
She is the oldest of 3 girls, is very bright & also fairly sensitive.

I think it's a kind of regression - she has also started sucking her thumb again after having stopped for over a year.
Her behaviour in school is impeccable, but at home the slightest thing can set her off (
dislike of sauce on pasta, sister saying the "wrong" thing etc etc.) Most embarrasingly, she is also prone to losing her temper at friends houses so playdates can be risky, the only place she can seem to control her temper /
behaviour is at school.

Some of the looks / attitude would be more expected from a 17 year old, not a 7 year old - help - any ideas would be appreciated!

I found the 'Explosive Child' book (which I think was recommended to me on here) helpful, it is both american and writing largely about extremely difficult children, but even so there are lots of helpful suggestions and strategies for less extreme situations.

Thanks for the recommendation - I will order & read asap! Also trying to spend more "quality time" with her - not easy with 2 other dds to look after - I don't want them to feel left out.

Hello! I know this thread is 3 years old, but your daughter sounds just like my 7 year old son: I'm on MN now, trying to find some guidance: just wondered if the book was any good, and what the result was with your daughter? Any insight appreciated!

Place marked. Any bullying at school?

Sounds like my 8-year old son too. I am at my wits end at times. Only difference is that my son doesn't behave consistently at school either. 98% of the time he is adorable, but I have started to live in fear of the 'the look' that indicates that he is going to 'start'. We were called into school last week about another incident and I was genuinely fearful that we might be taking him home with us for some 'gardening leave'. He is only 8!!! All his teachers think he is bright, but this cannot be the reason for his behaviour, which can be a complete nightmare. His twin brother is as passive as you can get, which can also be problematic at times, but is less unmanageable. :(

There's another of approaching bad temperedness. If you read the Book Wheat Belly by William Davis he talks about it affecting behaviour (i have personal experience of this).

People eat too much of it (also causes inexplicable tiredness) and it affects different people in varying ways.

Can you spend time alone with her? Give her your time and positive attention.