DD is nearly 12. She goes to a small independent school which she chose over the local state school where some of her frinds went. She has had some problems at school due to one particularly nasty girl (who actually everyone is now getting fed up with) but she has made some new friends and everything seemed to have settled down.
We have been to the doctors a few times since christmas. She was concussed in an incident at school in February and then injured her foot doing something daft with her frieds. She also had a throat infection.
She has been suffering from headaches for about 3 months on and off and the doctor has referred us to an osteopath and a paediatrician. He said he doesn't feel there is anything seriously wrong but thinks there is some underlying emotional problem that maybe exacerbating her symptoms. I think it's largely hormonal!
My dh has a very demanding job and works away during the week and I am finding her so hard to deal with at the moment. We are looking into alternative schooling for her for september but I just need some advice as to how to balance the need to be sympathetic with the need to keep her in line.
She is so damn demanding and rude all the time. Her emotions swing from ecstatic to depressed in the blink of an eye. I seem to be arguing with her all the time but she is only 11 and don't feel that the way she is behaving is acceptable.
Earlier she complained that I hadn't given her enough for dinner. WHen she continued I told her she had three chances to stop complaining or her dinner would go in the bin. She carried on. Dinner went in the bin. Cue screaming like a demented banshee followed by an attempt to walk out of the house which I stopped.
I have now told her that friends/ sweets/ treats in half term and riding lessons which she would like are dependent on better behaviour (and I WILL carry out my threats)
But I just seem to spend all my time having to make threats and I am so tired of it.
What do you wise ladies do in these situations? What works for you?