Is 6 a difficult age?

[longestlurkerever]

Dd1 is being frankly not that nice at the moment - lots of sulking, ridiculous strops if she doesn't get her own way, "I hate you!" etc, falling out with friends at school. Dm says "it's her age" but frankly I thought 6 would be when things got easier. Is anyone else's 6 year old playing up?

Yes! My DS has moments of utter perfection and then —many more— moments when he appears to have been possessed by a two year old....

Strike through fail

Yes - she is Jekyll and Hyde

Yes my DD2, don’t remember the eldest being quite like this but they are very different temperaments. This last week has been challenging to say the least with outbursts and generally huffy tantrum behaviour with no obvious cause... they are preparing them for SATs as she’s year2 (youngest in her year) so I’m wondering if the “atmosphere” in class has changed abit...or it’s just because her label is rubbing or DD1 moved her teddy...or her shoes don’t do up... or I put 5carrots & not 6 on her plate ....

SkiGirl007 Mine is Y2 too (also August birthday). I've got parents' eve tonight so will ask about that.

Good luck with Parents eve, hope the snow hasn’t cancelled it
Yes I wondered if it’s hormone boost or aniexty related. We have a very sensory child so any change in routine comes out in “tantrum style” behaviour sometimes just a quiet cuddle calms it other times I just have to ignore or ask her to sit quietly while she calms down but this week has been particularly challenging on my patience! And then a min later she’s a flipping angel

skigirl I think your dd2 and my dd1 would get along! Parents' evening was good actually - although there was mention of lots of squabbling on her table and it can all get a bit overwhelming so it wasn't like I didn't recognise the child they were describing. Apparently she's a total sponge and is making stonking progress in maths and is one of the best readers in the class (reading was a bit of a slog back in reception) so maybe she's just worn out with it all. I wondered about hormones too - they do seem to be shooting up and then there's all the teething and so on. So I'll try and cut her some slack. Bloody hard work though!

I asked about SATS but they said they haven't mentioned them, and won't - the kids won't know they're doing them.

@longestlurkerever
Did you mean anything with a "6", if so, yes!
Includes:
0 - 6 months
6 months - 6 years
6years - 16 years
16 years - 26 years
26 years - 36years
36 years - present
Different stages for different ages.
Love my daughter very much
Good Luck!

longestlurker they sound very similar mine is soaking it up and top level reader but I’ve stopped reading the books they were sending home recently it was getting silly. She is really tired in the evening and these are big chapter books so I’ve gone back to “pick what you like off our shelf “ and she reads that. Some nights it’s just a simple Maisy book and that’s enough for her. I did tell her teacher what we doing as I felt the pace they were pushing her was too much. She shouldn’t know about the SATs but has a sister in year6 who is full on in SATs prep ...(why oh why do the school ram it so much...is a whole other thread!) so the younger one picked up on it.
Tonight went more smoothly as I said no tablet and we spent 45mins just having a cuddle doing spot n find fairy books and she was as happy as anything having “me”. Gone to bed happy phew!

Made me laugh otter and cry the highs n lows of parenting.

To be fair her current teacher seems v sensible - she said at Christmas that I don't need to practise reading any more as she's reading for pleasure and I said good because I had already made that decision myself! But yes - sometimes she feels like a young 6 - still enjoying the same TV programmes and books as her 2 year old sister and sometimes she's old beyond her years! Keeps us on our toes, anyway, and she's super-enthusiastic about everything from world book day to starting violin lessons so I guess I should count my blessings (while drinking wine).

This could be my Dd, 6, 7 at the end of May, also year 2. Little angle apparently at school but just been referred for extra help with reading dispite being on target for age, school want her 6 months further on.

But pushes boundaries with me all the time, less so with dh. Massive tantrums over socks being too small most mornings, even though I have bought new larger socks, needs telling numerous tines to clean her teeth and get dressed. Hair brushing an issue.

I’m hoping it’s an age thing. She did flake out at 7 tonight which is a little early but they have played outside each break in the cold today.

Yes we have struggled with young emotional maturity which is very much down to be Aug baby but higher intelligence so I think sometimes more is “expected” but she’s only 6 bless her, it’s such a young age still. Yet SO desperate to do what her 11yr sister does which is tough to parent sometimes

Yep, a DS here but the same age as yours, yr2, 7 in July. Silly, stroppy, grumpy acts like a 2 year old and then a 12 year old. Moments of brilliance, so funny and such good company when on form.

Let's hope as with everything else 'it's just a phase, it will pass'

I have two six year olds and two five year olds. 6 year olds (Y1)are definitely more difficult than 5 year olds (YR).

Lots of 'tantrums', they both seem to be having some kind of personality crisis at the moment; lots of upset and trying to assert dominance and sudden, unprovoked anger (also very needy for attention and and physical contact, more so than they've ever been before). I'm currently pregnant and we recently moved house so I wasn't sure if it was that or an emotional stage but the 5 year olds are behaving entirely differently and the Y1 teacher said that it's quite normal.

Good to hear that it's not just us as the mums I know at school struggle to admit their children are anything less than angels!

@Eloasor 2 6 year olds and 2 5 year olds? (faints)? I'd offer you my wine if you weren't pregnant (faints again)

Had a nice day with her yesterday 1:1 (school closed due to pathetic attitude towards snow) but today I have lost it with her. The constant whining and refusal to see anything from anyone else's point of view has caused me to lose my temper. Happy weekend everyone x

No, I found it to be the opposite with mine. Everything improved hugely from 6.
But I had already served my time between 2 - 4 years old, so I feel your pain

Annabelle - My 2 year old seems easy going in comparison! I think part of it is down to different expectations though.

Ironically the two snow days off school have really helped mine. She’s been cutting n sticking and making a book, Lego, books ...dolls even I think school was just getting full on and she needs more “creative head space” she’s an incredibley sensory child but hasn’t worked out yet that actually quiet headspace does her wonders... the oldest one on the hand serious cabin fever as all her sporty stuff cancelled....grrrr

7 is much worse IME...

@skigirl Ironically after a shocking morning she has been good as gold all afternoon - she insisted she wanted "to do some craft with dd2 on our own" and they've busy cutting and sticking things on to old bean cans with zero supervision for ages now. Not sure how much longer this peace can last but her eviction order is cancelled. I'd describe her as "incredibly sensory" as well - playdoh was always the one thing that would calm her as a toddler and she's now a master of fimo. She carries her teddy everywhere and likes to sniff him, and loves soft clothing.

She's also ridiculously sensitive to not getting enough sleep. She woke up 45 mins earlier than usual this morning and was a horror.

longestlurker - including step-dc (but all living together under one roof 100% of the time), don't worry I'm not a total maniac! Or maybe I am....

All of my children are very sensitive to lack of sleep so am I and so is dh so I entirely know what you're talking about. DD(6) has been opening the curtains in the night this last week to check for snow and therefore waking up about an hour earlier than normal due to the light and had been horrific with her temper because of it. I've had to remove her from the table for the last three nights at dinner time because she was getting unbearable. This thread is so reassuring, honestly.

Accidental ''... unfortunately it's more for me at the moment.