My dd1 just turned 6 in the beginning of May. We homeschool and live (though we should be moving from here in late July) in an apartment complex for families, so EVERYONE has small kids.
DD is kind of emotional and socially immature, still very whiny and tantrumy, and doesn't really have enough empathy to play well in groups. She is also extremely social. Since she doesn't go to school she is often out to play earlier in the day than most kids her age are home and as a result she plays with 4 and very young 5 years (ie- those too young for kindergarten). She spends most of the time with this gang of preschoolers bossing them around (rather, trying to) and getting really upset (we get a lot of screaming "no fair" and her coming inside to pout for 10 seconds...) when they won't play with her because she's bossy or they are tired of her, which happens often. And the kids her own age want nothing to do with her, they barely talk to her.
All this is doing nothing to help with her maturity. It really bothers me, I think, because when she is home with just the family she is really starting to mature. She is beginning to ask a lot of thoughtful questions, and really puzzle things out. We can see her growing into a "big kid" but when she's out there she acts like, well, a pre-schooler (for lack of a better term!)
I think that when we are removed from this situation, at least I hope, this will resolve itself. But I worry a little about what's going to happen in homeschool groups and playgroups, since she will often be around preschoolers (especially in the latter.) Am I over-reacting here? Is this something normal that she'll grow out of? I don't even really know what I could do to stop it if it's not...
Hanging
DD is kind of emotional and socially immature, still very whiny and tantrumy, and doesn't really have enough empathy to play well in groups. She is also extremely social. Since she doesn't go to school she is often out to play earlier in the day than most kids her age are home and as a result she plays with 4 and very young 5 years (ie- those too young for kindergarten). She spends most of the time with this gang of preschoolers bossing them around (rather, trying to) and getting really upset (we get a lot of screaming "no fair" and her coming inside to pout for 10 seconds...) when they won't play with her because she's bossy or they are tired of her, which happens often. And the kids her own age want nothing to do with her, they barely talk to her.
All this is doing nothing to help with her maturity. It really bothers me, I think, because when she is home with just the family she is really starting to mature. She is beginning to ask a lot of thoughtful questions, and really puzzle things out. We can see her growing into a "big kid" but when she's out there she acts like, well, a pre-schooler (for lack of a better term!)
I think that when we are removed from this situation, at least I hope, this will resolve itself. But I worry a little about what's going to happen in homeschool groups and playgroups, since she will often be around preschoolers (especially in the latter.) Am I over-reacting here? Is this something normal that she'll grow out of? I don't even really know what I could do to stop it if it's not...
Hanging
