Hello,
I really need some advice.. I have a 5 year old daughter who has probably slept through the night about 50 nights out of her 5 years and 7 months of life, she has always been extremely needy at bedtime and through the night and seems to have a regression every single week when we feel we are getting somewhere.. when it's bedtime, despite sticking to a completely consistent routine and consistent bedtime and rise time, she will be up and down the stairs for attention for a couple of hours and it is killing me having to continuously put her back to bed until we all lose our rag, I work 40 hours a week have little family support to take her off my hands for a day and I'm overwhelmed and extremely behind on all my housework because of exhaustion, I just don't know what to do, we've had to resort to holding her door shut pretending it's locked to stop her leaving because it doesn't end, all the consequences we have dished out don't work, I'm at a total loss... what are you supposed to do when nothing works? Parenting is feeling far less than rewarding at the moment, I once really wanted another child, and she really wants a sibling but she is making me not want one, it's all making me want to leave my relationship and live alone, I feel like I'm completely failing at the moment and don't know what to do, I'm parentally burnt out, I can’t get on top of my housework because my daughter is so needy and constantly full of energy or needs attention, and then she won't listen to anything I tell her to do.. is this normal, has anyone else had to go through this? Please tell me I'm not alone :(
I dont even have many of my own friends outside of my household and relatives because I have no time to maintain any relationships, and have no hobbies to get out for which i really need to try and sort out.
Everyone I know who knows my little one will always say how good as gold she is, she does well at school and we are not aware of any behaviour issues there, it just seems like she wants to make me miserable by either being a nightmare at bedtime or attacking me in angry explosive and aggressive tantrums, is it because I work and need to do housework? Or is she just in total control of me? How can I tell if she has a problem? Even if I dedicated at least half an hour every day solely to play with her she is still desperate for attention and won't do anything alone, or at least not for very long.
Sorry for the long post, I just need to know it isn't just me.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and any replies xx