Thread for those with 8-9 year olds

[mama_kass]

Me! My son is almost 9. I can't believe we are halfway through his childhood.

[Eaglevoice]

My DSD is 8 and will be 9 July 31st! Though she'd like to be 14 already

[darlindeliasmom]

Hi: DD is 8, and is growing so fast...she is so into the competence phase of childhood...can she go faster, climb higher, read more, hit a ball, learn to dance...it gets exhausting. She's as active as a toddler!!

Looking forward to talk about this interesting age!

[sadkitty]

Originally Posted by Eaglevoice

My DSD is 8 and will be 9 July 31st! Though she'd like to be 14 already

My dd will be 9 in June. She's a bizarre mix of sophistication and innocence that is alternately charming and infuriating. Eaglevoice... We should get these guys together sometime.

[liawbh]

My son will be 9 in Aug! I can't believe it.

Hey sadkitty & Eaglevoice, maybe we can organize a PDX "big kids" get together!

[sadkitty]

Originally Posted by liawbh

My son will be 9 in Aug! I can't believe it.

Hey sadkitty & Eaglevoice, maybe we can organize a PDX "big kids" get together!

That would be great. Plus your baby will be just a couple months younger than ours!

This is what dd is addicted to right now :LOL

[nomadmom]

Originally Posted by mama_kass

My son is almost 9. I can't believe we are halfway through his childhood.

Yikes, it's scary when you think about it that way! My dd turned 8 in Feb. Nothing to add at this point, but looking forward to the discussion.

[btlsmum]

My oldest just turned 8 last month. So far, it's better than 7. LOL He was 7 going on 17 all last year and it was exhausting.

[mama_kass]

We are having issues with our son. He has started asking why, saying no, and telling me to stop when I send him to his room for talking back. He has also started lying which was never an issue in the past. I can remember being his age. I was fierce. I guess some of this is karma.

Most of the time he is a real joy to live with. He is very helpful to me and we have a very close relationship. He has become more independent. He is allowed to play outside unsupervised with his friends. I send him with a walkie talkie and we keep in touch that way. This is something we just started about six months ago.


darlindeliasmom my son has been very active too! What is the competence phase of childhood? I've never heard this before.

[liawbh]

Originally Posted by sadkitty

That would be great. Plus your baby will be just a couple months younger than ours!

This is what dd is addicted to right now :LOL

OMG, that is funny.

I posted a thread in Tribal Areas.

OK, enough hijacking the original thread :LOL

[darlindeliasmom]

mamakass: I get the competence thing from the work of Erik Erikson, and his 8 stages of development, which he expresses as "choices", basically. The theory basically describes the work of each age of life. It resonates with me-- infancy is trust vs. mistrust (making AP a no-brainer for me). Toddlerhood is autonomy vs. doubt (of self). Preschool up to about age 6 is about Initiative vs. Guilt (that you CAN affect the world, that what you do has meaning, that you can act rather than only being acted upon, and that what you do is nOT bad...something like that). Anyway, the elementary school years are about Competence vs. feelings oF inferiority. (Just type Erik Erikson into your search engine and you'll get loads of info).

Anyway, it has always helped me to hold in my mind what she's really working at. So tho' I'm majorly noncompetitive, I think that I am facing the fact that she HAS to be competitive becuase she's constantly testing herself at this age. (and testing me, as you say...)

[cmb123]

Originally Posted by sadkitty

This is what dd is addicted to right now :LOL

Wow! That's really scary. That's awfully violent. Is this a website designed for 9 yo's?

[guest^]

I have an 8 yo dd!!

She is dynamic,dramatic,intense,at odds with me constantly,helpful one min,them throwing a fit the next,picky eater,grabbing for independence, playing outside with her friends,watches ds for me one min, then calling him names the next. Daddy's little girl,though when sick won't sleep w/o me,has learned the meaning of:sexy,crushes, and abortion-all last week. Wants to be a Vet,pizza delivery driver,an electrician,pet groomer, and an icecream truck driver!! :LOL Her body is changing. She no longer has her little girl body,yet isn't developing, just has an older looking body. She thinks she knows more than both of us,and will spend hours telling us the hows and whys and such! :

She is a magnet to her friends. A fine mix of wants to please, yet,"don't cross me".

She has radar for her little brother's well being.

Could go on,but

mp

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by sadkitty

This is what dd is addicted to right now :LOL

DP *Loves* strongbad & crew. I was surprised to see a couple kids at DD's school (homeschool support) had shirts but they seem quite popular. Teen Girl Squad is hilarious.

[lisamarie]

I have a wonderful, sensitive, loving, energetic 8 1/2 yo ds. This past year though has been a struggle since my Mom and Grandmother past away. He is grieving their loss and feels different from other kids because of this. He goes to a great public school, but since he rides motocross and bmx, which are both non-mainstream things (football, baseball, basketball, etc.), he feels even more different. He has friends, but not one who totally understands him and is also into what he likes. He is also more mature and is a deep thinker.

How do you encourage your kids to be unique in a mainstream world? I know as parents and adults we even struggle with this.

Warmly~

Lisa

[darlindeliasmom]

mampoppins: Man! Sounds familiar!! LOL I think the coolest and yet sometimes aggravating thing about kids is how they can be so many different ages at once...One minute climbing into your lap, the next primping in front of a mirror trying on yet another garish shade of lipstick from their birthday stash!!

lisamarie: DD struggles with just being empathetic, and being a warrior princess. She never seems to assess the situation before she jumps in to rescue a weaker compatriot...the other girls then decide she is "mean". sigh...

About the uniqueness--lately I've been feeling like we've ruined her life by allowing her to be herself, and by living our own lifestyle...the other kids think her vegetarian diet is "wierd", even when the wierdest thing she has for lunch is a yogurt or cheese and apples. Karate is rapidly becoming her life (I think we've passed the "just a phase" point), and really it's NOT a girl thing, and the boys that do it tend (here anyway) to be heavily into game boys, something foreign to us and "boring" to her. She'd really rather climb trees (all while wearing that garish makeup and sparkly clothes!!).

I think at this age we need to do a lot of affirmation; junior high/middle school is just around the corner--yikes!!

[lisamarie]

darlindeliasmom~

thanks for your input and insight. yes, we also don't own a gameboy, x-box or do any video games in our house. i am so proud of his accomplishments w/his motocross and always felt he was special (we all think that about our kids i know), but i hate to see him struggle. we were talking last night about yoga and mediatation (he brought it up), so i think i will look into that for him.

warmly~

lisa

[Mom4tot]

I have a beautiful 9 y/o dd who will be 10 in Sept. :


She is independent, curious, persistant, sensitive, charming, artistic, creative and highly imaginative. Her body has been changing for awhile now. Just recently one of her breasts began to change ever so slightly. She calls it her "growing pained boob" :LOL Many days she is patient and close to her brother, other days she is reading and in need of more privacy. She loves discussions with her dad and me, is becoming a little bit defiant at times, and wants to be a vet, a surgeon, an explorere and an artist

[mama2four]

Sooo glad I found this thread...
My dd turned 8 in March. She can be very challenging at times, changing from helpful and extremely caring one minute to silly,defiant, mean to ther siblings the next. She really tests my limits : , laughing when I ask her to stop doing something, or simply refusing. She can be extremely short tempered and snap at her younger brother and sister. Glad to see that all of this seems to be within the normal range, she is my oldest, so I'm always surprised and tested by her new stages....

[dziejen]

My dd is 8 1/2 -- turning 9 in August -- and most of the time she is sweet and helpful. She has always been a mild-mannered, quiet child so it has taken me time to realize that although she is quiet she is still enjoying life and her friends and most of the time having fun. She does get very frustrated with her loud, vibrant, energetic little sister which is my main complaint -- they are always fighting : . At times I feel like I depend on her to be too responsible but she does get time to herself and to be with her friends as well so I guess it's ok. Anyways, glad to find this thread!