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Extremely emotional 5 year old

3 replies

Daqqe · 17/03/2022 07:40

My 5 year old has always been quite sensitive & emotional .. but for the last few months her crying has been insane. She cries far far more than her toddler sister, who I expect the tantrums from.

She cries if she’s told not to do something (not told off but something like don’t touch the bottom of your shoes, they are dirty), she cries when she makes a mistake when drawing or writing, she cries when I turn the TV down a couple notches, she cries when something isn’t going exactly as she expected it or wants it go, she cries when she gets the wrong colour cup for her water.. I could go on. Its tantrum like crying, she flings herself about and wails.

I’m finding if hard to deal with. I’m very conscious I’m constantly telling her to stop crying & I don’t want to create a complex that crying is bad! But her friends have mentioned she cries a lot & school day often kids don’t want to play a game with her because she’ll throw a tantrum if she loses or it doesn’t go as she wants 💔💔 and at home, my husband & I feel like we are walking on tiptoe waiting for the next implode.

I obviously expect & fully embrace crying because she’s hurt, scared or a genuine reason like DD2 has snatched a toy or something. Lots of hugs & expressing my understanding that it’s ok to cry. But what do I do with the laying on the floor crying because her sister got a purple cup & she got a blue one. I feel like I’m pandering to silly behaviour if I do the big hug and ohh it’s ok thing. But maybe I need to get over my only annoyance at the situation?! School are being supportive & working on her resilience which is kind. She’s far worse at home though..

Just for full info - nothing has changed in her life. She has a happy, settled life with mum & dad. Little sis is 2.5. She loves school. She has some lovely friends..

I need some parenting help please!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
GeneLovesJezebel · 17/03/2022 07:41

Have you asked school for their opinion ?
They do find school tiring, and often get like this at the end of a term/half term.

5ambreakfastclub · 17/03/2022 07:48

i have no advice but my 4 ( nearly 5) year old is exactly the same. Cries at everything , had a crying outburst last night as she was drawing and marked the paper with her pen in a place she didn't want to mark ..i find it really difficult. i would say 90% i respond with hugs and reassurance but i do get wound up on occasion ( especially when i'm also looking after her tantrummy 2 year old sister )
She's not at school yet, nursery 3 times a week and has a secure happy home with me and her father and sister . I am starting to get worried about this behaviour ( also added on top of that is her need for constant reassurance i.e she needs you to say it's ok for her to scratch her leg!!)

Aquabluey · 17/03/2022 09:04

I know it's hard op ,I have a sensitive child who is very intelligent as well.

Trust be it's get s better as they learn so much over time in school and outdoors.

Have you tried letting her know of your actions in advance with options?
I mean something like , the volume of the telly is going to come down in two minutes,now do you want to do it or you want mummy to do it ?

Let's touch the shinny top of the shoe ?

Children need something to figure with so give her a toy to hold instead.
Make her feel like she is control and not you .

Would you like this or that for breakfast?

You know kids so all sort of crazy stuff once they get to school. My dds friends would lick stones and ask dd to do it too. Poor thing did it once and just happily told me when she came home Grin I had to give her a long talk on how stones are dirty and thankfully it stopped.(at least I hoped it did at that time ) no way to know exactly what they do in school lol. But dd understood when the same friend was hospitalized to a and e for stomach upset and sickness probably due to this stone licking imo.

It's good that school are working with her.

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