Trouble with 10 year old.

[OhDang]

I full time babysit my little sister and she is 10 years old. I pick her and my other sister up from school, and when they get home the 10 year old is always SO angry. She whines and complains about every single thing. She does not know how to deal with her emotions. It is driving me crazy and i dont know how to deal with her. the screaming and whining and crying is getting old. I really am at loss here! Her whining then gets to the other little girl who is 7 and then everyone is just in a bad mood 24/7. And all they do is sit inside and play on the computer. i really try to get them to do other things but then they start crying and yelling and their (also my) mother lets them do it because she feels bad. I tell her its bad for them to be watching tv and computer all the time but she doesn't listen. They live in an APT and its freezing so its not easy for them to go outside all the time. They have no backyard. Right now it is sunny for once, so i got them to be able to go outside for a bit, which i can tell made them happier. But what can i do if they can't go outside, how can i help her deal with her attitude problem and yelling?

[BunnySlippers]

Maybe they need some interaction. Perhaps you could go outside with them, or sit in the house and play a game, draw, read...

[4evermom]

Is there anyplace nice to stop off on the way home from school? That might be easier than going back out after getting home.

I wonder if the 10 yo would like a diary, one with a lock of course. Not that I'm suggesting you tell her to "tell it to the diary" instead of talking. I think it's good for people to talk about what is bothering them, though it doesn't sound like your sister is necessarily talking about what is really bugging her.

Do you think she is getting enough sleep? It's really hard not to be emotional when you are tired.

Try avoiding telling her what she ought to do (not play computers) and try to ask her what she'd like to do and listen. It just makes people resistant to ideas if they feel judged. Even if she can't do what she wants, an empathetic listener who just agrees that that sounds fun can go far towards cheering someone up.

[A&A]

Is she getting enough sleep at home?

[mesecina]

My 6 year old gets like that if I don't meet her at the door of the school with a snack. Even walking to the car is too long sometimes.

[OhDang]

Maybe its the sleep. Hmm..

My mother is NOT good at telling the girls to go to bed. It annoys the crap out of me. They will stay up till midnight sometimes and then she expects them to not complain in the morning when they wake up for school at 8am.

Thanks for the suggestions!