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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
8 yr old stepdaughter tantrums disrespect
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
8 yr old stepdaughter tantrums disrespect
by reneelynn, Mar 30, 2007 12:00AM
I have an 8 yr old stepdaughter. She has at least one tantrum everyday and they are ridiculous. She screams, cries, yells, shes mean to her brothers and sisters, tells me she hates me, does not listen to me or her dad, and she hurts herself because she throws herself around. She respects everyone at school but does not do well academically. She is a perfect angel when people are around but as soon as they leave she change sinto a totally different child. Mornings are hell in our home because she wants to wear skirts that are too small and shoes that are too big.We have even agreed on clothes the night before but the next morning she refuses to wear them. I dont get it. We have tried the timeouts which just cause even worse tantrums they dont help, we have tried behaviorcharts , she will take them down and say she doesnt care, we have tried school counseling , that was a joke. We are just so fed up with the stress she causes on everyone in the home especially the other children. I need some suggestions please :)
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Mar 30, 2007 12:00AM
, Mar 30, 2007 12:00AM
Have you arranged a thorough mental health evaluation for your child? Sometimes it is sufficient to handle situations by focusing on behavior management. Sometimes, though, it's also important to determine the nature of the child's disturbance. This can have far-reaching implications about what to do. It also sounds like you need guidance about how to implement behavioral programs, including use of time out, incentive systems, etc. Generally, it's not a matter of whether such standard tactics 'work' or not (they are effective with almost all children); it's a matter of how they are implemented. Collaboration between yourselves and a pediatric mental health clinician could help you around such implementation.
