Anyone else think age 4 is the "year of emotions"?

[NapQueen]

Dd is nearly 5, and this past year her emotional development seems to have just gained massive momentum.

We've had more tears this past year than the first 3 years total. She now seems to feel stuff other than hungry/tired/cold. She's started crying at the sad bits in films.

She has become mega sensitive and ends up in tears over stuff like her socks not being comfy or her duvet not being tucked in. I don't "give in" as such so I don't think she's being controlling.

She just seems some days to be like a simmering pot with the slightest thing bubbling her over.

I'm concerned that the way I handle it will have a real effect on her emotional growth.

Anyone else's 4yo like this?

My nearly 4 year old has been like this since 3.5. Some days I question how we will both get through it exotically intact!

Haha typo! Exotically!!! Meant to say EMOTIONALLY!

Yep totally agree!!! 4.5 and onwards it's like I have the offspring of vicky pollard and Kevin!

Haha good description.

My dd just turned 4 a couple of months ago and I can already see a lot of what you talk about in your op. She has definitely become more sensitive lately and just this evening she talked about how she didn't want me and dp to 'go away'. She was worried we were going to go out and not come back! No idea where this came from and of course we would never do that.

She also gets upset easily and often the only way to calm her is by giving her a cuddle. I don't mind doing this if it makes her feel secure but it's sometimes difficult to get the balance right between disciplining bad behaviour and 'giving in'.

It seems like this is an age where they become more aware of the world around them and 4 is still little really so it's understandable that they might find it overwhelming at times.

Yes!!!!
My dd who's 4.5 is very much like this, everyone told me it would get easier when she started school - they LIED!!!

It carries on ...sorry ...9 and counting!!

[cries]

Doesn't get any less emotional
Eleven and six here

Yes she cried at a song the other day!

Nearly 5 here and we get the OTT 'you're the BEST mother/ father/ teddy/ glass of juice in the entire world' to a demanding tone and right stroppy behaviour within the same sentence!! Complete emotional cartwheels and has made us question how we parent at times recently!!!

Try 15...

Yes! DS is showing his more through the medium of turning everything into an argument and being devastated if he doesn't win it.

Do you want juice.
Yes orange juice please.
There's no orange juice I'm afraid
No orange. Why is there no orange, I hate apple juice, apple juice is stinky. I don't even want any juice anymore. I DON'T EVEN LOVE YOU EVER AGAIN ANYMORE MUMMY. I will not hug you.

Dd is only 3.5 but I'm already seeing a lot of what you describe and it's definitely moving from the angry, flinging-self-about tantrums of toddlerhood (though we still get those occasionally too) to proper emotional distress over what we'd see as trivial things. Yesterday it was because she changed her mind about what Christmas card she wanted to give one of her little friends after I'd already written his name in. End of the world, apparently...

Sometimes I worry too that I'm not dealing with it very well and the impact this will have on her. When I'm on form though, I give her a cuddle, tell her "I know it's hard and you feel sad and that's ok" and try and gently talk her round.