are you me?
ha, squishys - it's like you're in my house, watching DD5 these days, right down to the total lack of respect for her dad.
i sure HOPE it's a phase... but i'm not sure i can wait that long - the stress level round here has been pretty extreme.
we always deal with individual incidents immediately, consistently and clearly, so it's been perplexing that our very logical kid has just flown off the rails again these past few weeks without any obvious provocation. her mood had been really bad during the horrible school year she had, but the anger has really ramped up again all of a sudden.
so yesterday, in a rare moment of calm, we totally read her the riot act - we called her downstairs, sat across a table from her and spelled it out: all the stomping/door slamming/shouting was to STOP. it was very hard for her to hear, especially since she clearly already knows how bang out of order she's been. i've never really pulled a discussion like this out of the moment before - it always seemed pointless - maybe i thought she was too small to be able to digest/synthesize it outside of the individual incidents.
of course, that sounds totally stupid now that i write it down - this is the kid who digests/synthesizes everything practically instantly. the kid who remembers a social failure on a play date from five months prior, and makes a sensible plan for how to handle potential future problems when the kid is finally coming over again.
anyhow, it's too soon to tell if it really sticks, but the Big Talk definitely improved the vibe in the house yesterday, and it has clearly carried forward into today. this morning, she was still her old self - very thoughtful and helpful and pleasant.
fwiw, i've found exercise also really helps when DD is at her craziest. if your state is sad & boring... can you take him on a long march? pack up enough snacks to eat along the way and walk till he drops?
good luck, squishys!
