Does anyone else have experience of a seven year old suddenly going through a really 'teenager-esque' stage?
My dd is so difficult these days, and I am finding dealing with her really really hard. Also, as a single mum, it is hard to know whether I am being reasonable with her. There's no one around to give me any reassurance.
My dd argues with me, and is quite rude to me, and moans on and on and on and on whenever she doesn't get her own way, or whenever she has to do anything she doesn't want to do.
Then when I stick my ground, she claims that she is having a rubbish childhood, that she would prefer to be someone else (earlier today, it was Charles I who had his head cut off!), that I'm not fair, that I always get my way.....
It is so wearing me down, and when I am feeling premenstrual, I just feel totally unable to cope. I start to believe that I really am giving her a lousy childhood. (At the moment, I am not pre-menstrual, and I know full well that she has a great childhood - that she will recognise that in her adulthood).
But even at the best of times, I just don't know how to deal with it. Do I answer her constant questions (which are just repeats of "WHY CAN'T I" and followed by "do you actually love me?" (i.e. not constructive debate))? Or do I insist that the subject be dropped (I have given her the answer and the explanation, and there is no more to say on the case)?
How do you answer if your child reminds you that you also do things wrong (like get grumpy sometimes - which is quite true)? I mean, I know that I am far from perfect (and I do humbly apologise to her when I know I have not been fair or whatever). But that does not mean that I can't try to train acceptable behaviour in her, does it?
I am of the school of thought that children should be obedient to their parents - that they can't fully understand implications or dangers as children. I try to explain to her why I have asked something of her, and I do listen to reasonable and polite questioning and change my mind when appropriate).
But she really has a way of making me feel absolutely guilty, hypocritical, unfair etc. etc.
I don't necessarily want a debate on the best ways of disciplining. Rather, is there anyone who has personal experience of this kind of attitude? Is it a common phase in children of her age?
Thanks for getting this far.
Sorry - this turned out to be quite long.