Life with a nine year old isn’t always easy – especially not when the nine year old in question is the most headstrong, independent and stubborn child you could imagine.
I think we’ve entered the teenage hormone stage a few years early with Miss Frugal judging by the last few weeks and I’m struggling a little with how to cope with it to avoid the house becoming a battle ground.
She’s always been stubborn and fiercely independent but lately, she’s developed a rather large attitude as well. She isn’t a demanding child but when she wants something that she can’t have, she turns into a complete madam. She’s like a mini pink version of the incredible hulk and can’t control her mood. She stands with her arms crossed and no matter what I say or do, she can’t seem to snap out of it.
I’ve tried reasoning with her and talking to her but she just looks at me as if she couldn’t care less. I’ve tried sending her to her room but to be fair that’s not much of a punishment as there’s more to do in there than Toys R Us and I’ve even tried telling her that we’re not going to do things that she’s looking forward to doing.
Nothing gets her out of her sulk, even though she does know that she’s wrong. She’s just so stubborn that she has to stand her ground. When she does finally sort herself out, she has a good cry and we have a hug but I always stick to any punishments that I’ve given out. We’ve talked about it and she knows that nothing good happens when she sulks but she can’t help it.
She doesn’t have these sulks very often and most of the time she’s still her usual loving self but they are getting more frequent and I’m a bit worried that if she’s like this at nine, she’ll be a nightmare when she gets older so I want to try and get this nipped in the bud now.
And while I’m asking for advice on pre-teen children, I don’t suppose anyone has any ideas on how to encourage said pre-teen child to wear the clothes I want her to wear….
