HELP!! ADVICE NEEDED!! 8 yr old girl

[lovin_it]

I am a mom of 4 wonderful kids. 11yrs, 8 yrs, 3 yrs and 1 yr. They are great kids and I spend my life devoted to keeping themsafe, making sure they have evrything they need. I am a stay at home mom. I have been having some issues with my 8 year old daughter. I give all my kids attention, all the same. No one goes with "mommy time". But my 8 year old is constntly seeking attention. She picks fights with my 3 year old to make her scream and cry. My 8 year old is acting up at home, but at school teachers say she is a pleasant wonderful girl at the top of her class. I have sat downa nd talked with her asking her concerns, or issues she may be having. I have told her and explained to her that I love her very much, and I love all my babies the same. But this constant attention seeking, this constant acting out, jumping around for atttention, singing at the top of her lungs when I am trying to get the little one down for a nap. She had even developed unattractive habits, like spitting, rolling spit around on the tip of her tongue, picking her nose, eating it...I am even having a hard time teaching her that when it comes time for bathroom hygine...she must wipe front to back...she refuses to listen. I have sat down with her to tell her the issues that can arise from doing this....but nothing will help, she refuses to listen. I have tried everything I can think of to ease any anxiety she may have to stop this unwanted attention seeking and acting out. But I am at wits end. nothing is working. Is this normal 8 year old girl behavior??? what am I doing wrong? No amount of attention given to her works, I can spend 5 hours with her and just her, and when I get up and try to do something else......she acts up, strikes out, and begins picking fights, spitting and all the other habits she has developed. SHe is a very intellegent girl....and I love her with all my heart and soul, but I am exhausted. I am exhausted from all the fighting...any advice?? thanks ladies

 

[alicecooper]

My 8 year old daughter is the only one of my kids who pees herself, and picks her nose and eats it. So if it's not normal then we're both doing something wrong. x

 

[lovin_it]

thank you!! I don't know what to do. Today she refuses to listen to me, walks away from me in mid sentence, and when I asked her to clean her room she yelled, screamed and threw a full blown tmeper tantrum. Then 2 minutes later she was appoligizing. If this is a hint of what teen years are going to be.....I'm scared!!!!!

 

[JASMAK]

My 8 year old doesnt pick her nose....and I have no idea how she wipes (btw, I dont wipe front to back, never have, and...never once had an infection or a UTI), but she is pretty dramatic these days. I just make sure she knows the consequences which usually includes grounding or natural consequences....such as last night I asked her to not make a mess with her tortilla chips, and she goofed off, and I made her vacuum it up. Nothing else you can do really! I think its the age, because I have talked to friends with girls the same age....and they all say similar.

 

[lovin_it]

maybe it is the pre teen years settling in. Yikes!!

 

[Foogirl]

Yikes! Sounds awful! poor you.

Our daughter is only 4 but is going through a not listening phase. I decided enough was enough and told her if she didn't listen to me, I wouldn't listen to her. It's early days but it's really effective so far. She hates it when I totally ignore her but it doesn't take her long to get the message.

 

[LaughOutLoud]

My DD is only 4 so dont have any advice really. Sounds normal reading everyone elses replies and all I can do is send you a big hug.