My DD is usually a sweet well tempered loving and kind little girl. She behaves wonderfully for everyone except me. I feel like an utter failure. We go to a nursery where she’s been since the age of 2 and will be starting reception at the same school in September. Every time I pick her up there’s usually some battle of wills, I want to stay and play, or I want to walk on the wall, today she wanted to lie on the floor in the car park. She knows boundaries but always tries to get just a little bit extra. Today after getting her off the car park floor she threw a stone at me. My instinct was to of course shout no in the moment, which of course caused a meltdown refusal to get in the car, but also not allowing me to put her in the car. Shouts for daddy, the full works. I was so embarrassed. But worse still then there’s other class mates coming over to offer her chocolate, I don’t want her having chocolate that’s not going to help! How on earth do you help your child through a tantrum over something like this and manage to politely decline other people’s interference when you’re dealing with it? I feel like the only parent who has this, the other little darlings walk lovely to their car with their mummies and behave, mine rebels and resists. She is perfect fly well behaved at pick up for my husband who picks up once a week, if my mother and or his mother pick up no problem but for me, awful. I really do think that perhaps I’m just a rubbish mum. I feel like all my time with her is spent asking her to stop doing something dangerous, dealing with her doing something dangerous or dealing with the aftermath of her falling over usually because she did something dangerous. I can trust her in a carkpark without holding my hand because she runs off thinking it’s a game. I’m tired, totally worn down and really fed up. DD has fallen asleep in the car on the way home of course she was tired and hungry. The first thing I give her when we get in the car is a sandwich to eat before we get home and have dinner. I’ve tried bringing favourite toys to the gate, has a small soothing effect. Today I got stuck in traffic so was there exactly on pickup, I called ahead to say I wouldn’t be early. I feel like I get the brunt of her anger and she’s lovely to everyone else.