Mood Swings?

[jkpmomtoboys]

Does anyone have suggestions for coping with a preteen's mood swings? Our 10 yo ds is happy one moment and then really down the next. I'm not worried about bipolar disorder and in fact he just had an appt. last week with his psychologist who checked him out as "fine".

He's always had intense moods (he's very sensitive and takes things very hard) but I can't take the swings because I end up going along for the ride and as a 39 yo, it's exhausting.

Any suggestions, besides lots of alcohol?? (for me, not him...)

TIA!

[SinginMamaTo2]

Hi there,
I've got nothing for you other than "I know how you feel!" LOL
My DS is 10 as well, always been very intense and emotional, really happy most of the time, until he's NOT!

I'm hoping some others chime in here. My husband tells me to just let it roll off my shoulders, but of course, I'm intense and emotional too, so that's not an easy thing to do. I'm constantly working on this skill. So any other suggestions would be great.

Hanging in there with ya Mama

[Linda on the move]

YOGA!!

Seriously, the trick is to learn to not go along for the ride, and that's what yoga is about. I'm sure other things work well for this, too.

I think this is a natural part of the growing towards independance thing, for them and for us. I suspect that this is more intense in families that practice APing because we take our kids feelings VERY seriously, more so than mainstream families. But there came a point for us when I realized that *me* getting all freaked along with them, wasn't helpful to them in anyway, and that I'm just too old for that.

[arcenciel]

Not really any solutions either! LOL. Going through something similar and was beginning to wonder how normal it is!! I'd decided to read up about normal teen stages. I know when my kids were little I read TONNES about the stages they go through and all that, but it's been a while and I'm out of touch with what they should be doing...

I agree with the trying not to get carried along with it all. I think more than half of my bad moods these days are linked to my 11yo's moods and that can't be good for anyone. Sometimes, when I'm conscious about it I manage to switch off.

I'm working on something like non-violent communication to help him name the emotions. Of course, he doesn't want to talk to me about them so I suggest a couple of ideas and suggest he go off an figure it out for himself.

Working on lots of hugs when he wants to be close. It helps me (and presumably him?) when he's pushing me away...

Trying to keep it reasonable in terms of how he's allowed to express himself, though he's made a lot of progress on that in the last couple of years.

Watch diet and media exposure as they really don't help with mood swings. Especially the sugar thing. My ds seems to be particularly sensitive to food at the moment though he wasn't before.

Good luck

[mamadodson]

It's nice to know I am not the only one out there with these issues. DS and I have always been very close, he is a mama's boy, however lately he is moody, and very mouthy, lazy and disrespectful, which has me flustered, and we are growing apart because of it I wish there was a solution to these moods, but it is just a part of their becoming a man, my husband said he went through the same changes, its almost boys way of pmsing only it isnt one week a month it is for a year or so i guess we should hold tight for the bumpy road ahead.