The baby behavior is driving me nuts!!

[Ohheckethump]

NC as DP knows I am on MN and I just want to rant and not hurt his feelings or upset him.

DSD is a month off 14. She is a lovely girl very sweet natured and in someways mature but in other ways she is very babyish.

The babyish behaviour does not appear often but when it does it really grates on me. I have my own DD who is 16 so I have experience of teenage girls and my DD is not an only child but DSD is so I wonder if that is a factor.

The behaviour is a combination of talking like a baby so saying "dada" alot and generally talking in a baby voice/manner. Being very physical in order to get attention so skipping, jumping and dancing around the room in a look at me way when the adults are having a conversation. Wanting her Teddy Bears bringing from her room and taking over one sofa so that everyone has to sit on the other sofa.

We had visitors last week and they brought their 4 yo DD and it seemed like DSD was in competition with the 4 yo for attention so the baby behaviour was ramped up along with the skipping, dancing and random story telling of friends at school.

That same weekend DP had a 10 minute nap on the sofa and DSD knew he had nodded off we were only watching a movie (DSDs choice) so he wasn't missing much and DSD decided to do a very over the top very loud sneeze which obviously woke him up.

I do like DSD alot and she seems to like me as she chooses to do activities with me and spend time with me. I know that this is probably due mine and DPs relationship becoming more serious so I am not blaming her I just wanted to get it off my chest as I am struggling to contain my eye rolls at the moment!!!

I think its rather sweet that she still likes her teddies etc, 13 nearly 14 is still pretty young really, some children grow up too quickly. I can see it might be annoying though at times, she's probably scared of losing her dad - either to you or a future together baby that she will see as a replacement for her. I think just lots of reassurance from you and from dad and let it pass where possible. None of it sounds that drastic for a young teen.

Surely someone says "why are you talking in a baby voice, you sound like you're 3!?"

Or "please move those teddy bears off the sofa and put them back in your room, we need to sit down!".

Or "stop dancing around the room like that, you're going to break something".

She's a fucking teenager and SEN aside, needs to be told she's making a fool of herself and to get a grip. I'm sure she's not behaving like that at school or with her friends.

My dsd does this at times. We just tell her to ‘talk properly, we can’t hear what you’re saying’. We don’t even highlight she’s talking like a baby just highlight it’s hard to understand. She also does a baby sad voice and we will highlight it and again ask her to use her normal voice as it sounds like she is whining. She has largely stopped it now thank goodness, it was very annoying.

I agree with THisbackwithavengeance.

Your partner is not being kind to indulge her behaving like this, and particularly around guests. This daft behaviour would put me off visiting anybody.