I think dd1 has been going through some hormonal ups and downs lately. She has been tough to deal with- very emotional, mean to me(her mom), and demanding. However, it is so hard for me to tell b/c she has always been a difficult child for me to deal with. Last night, dd2 who is 6yo, was sick with fever and had night terrors throughout the night. I was up all night with her and it was scary. Dd1 woke up this morning and after hearing what her sister had been through she started trying to get everyones attention in really negative ways. She seemed really jealous that her sister was getting taken care of and receiving a lot of attention. She threw a huge fit about finishing her homework before going to school and she kept saying dd2 wasn't sick. Her behavior really bothered me and I got pretty angry at her for being so self centered. My husband dealt with her pretty well and got her to do her homework after about 30 minutes of her crying about it.
Is this kind of thing normal? I was pretty blown away by how blatantly self absorbed she was being. Is that a first child trait? Any advice for how to deal with this kind of thing and also how to deal with a daughter who is really rude to you? She rolls her eyes, tells me I am stupid, will argue about a rule I make for hours, etc.
I am going to reread "How to Talk..." and try some "Love and Logic" techniques...However, my mom has told me she feels we should do some family counseling with her b/c she thinks her behavior will only get worse. I felt my mom's statement was a bit harsh... what do you all think?
Thanks
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