Hi everyone, I’m posting as I’m desperate for some advice & help.
I have a 3 year old who will turn 4 next month & I honestly feel like the worst mum in the world. I’m a single parent & have been for 2 years. My daughters behaviour is out of control & I just can’t cope with it anymore, everything is a battle and ends in tears. Brushing teeth, brushing hair, washing hair, getting dressed, leaving the house, bedtime.. all the day to day things I absolutely dread because I know it’ll end in tears or an argument, she’ll scream, squeal and cry until she gets what she wants. I’m at my whits end with it all. She sees her dad twice a week & she’ll stay over at his on her birthday & Christmas. As much as I hate to ask him as I don’t want him to know I can’t cope, I’ve asked her dad to have her over night more often but that will only be once every other month (if that) I’ve noticed her behaviour change dramatically since lockdown as she’s started biting, pinching, hitting, kicking, not listening & just being a complete nightmare. She even grabbed my cheeks and dug her nails into my face while screaming at me. I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong & have no idea where she’s picked these outbursts up from. I can’t bare to take her on a walk or to the park because it just ends in a tantrum & screaming fit when it’s time to leave.
I recently brought a house so I’m living on my own with new neighbours & I’m constantly worried incase I annoy them with my daughter crying & screaming. I just don’t know what to do anymore and it’s really getting me down. When she’s finally asleep, I’ll spend the night in tears over it all, I look forward to the days she’s are nursery and dread when she’s not because I know she’s with me all day or when I’m at work because I know I don’t have to deal with it & that hurts me so much. She used to be such a chilled, happy baby and I’m petrified She’s going to grow into a angry, unhappy & aggressive child. She’s good as gold for everyone else but not for me & I’m starting to loose my patience with it all. I struggled a lot with PND when she was born and now I’m beginning to wonder if that has effected her. I want nothing more than to enjoy her company, for her to be happy & to create lovely memories in our new house but it’s been nothing more than tantrums and tears day in day out. I don’t know how much more I can take. It makes me miss my old life so so much, I look back at old pictures and just wish I could go back to the happy care free 19 year old.
Sorry for the long post I just want to be a good mum to her.