Hi, I have looked at some of the other posts about tricky 9-year-olds, and many seem to blame hormones. I don't think this is the case for my DD. She will be 10 in April and for the past year (or slightly less) she has been SUPER difficult. If I mention an outing on the weekend to something I think she would like, she flatly refuses to go, throws things and freaks out like a toddler if I try and force her. She won't try anything new and I fear her world is kind of shrinking. She has started lying (small things like stealing cookies) which is a new thing as she has always been one of those kids who cannot tell a lie. I feel she wants to 'sever her ties' with me, which is normal. I am happy to watch her independence blossom, but I don't know why she seems so closed to any new experiences I want to share with her. Is this just the beginning of the Freudian killing off of the mother?