Hello ladies,
I always get such great advice here I thought I'd ask about this one. My DD has been having terrible mood swings lately. She just recently turned 4 and is an extremely bright child. But everything will be fine and the smallest thing will set her off. She will go sobbing to her room for the next 15 minutes. The other day she ran off crying because we were out of chocolate milk. Some days she wakes up and asks me to leave her alone because "she sad and doesn't know why". Now, her bio father is bipolar. However the doctor has told me that most kids that are bipolar are characterized by aggression and violence. She is probably the most UNVIOLENT kid I've ever seen. She takes wonderful care of her sister and her cat, and even tries to take care of me when I'm sick. It's just her moods switch from happy/sad/happy at the drop of a dime. Is this normal? Anyone relate?
I have read that at age 4 children get a surge of hormones...and that is why they suddenly remind you of little teenagers. My son was the same...but besides getting sad he would get angry at the drop of a hat and had major attitude. Ugh. He's better now at 6. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know I can relate.
Because of the possible hereditary connection, I sure wouldn't rule out the possibility of bi-polar illness, even if she's not presenting in the most usual way for her age group. But here's another angle to explore:
There are many, many chemicals that are part of our everyday environment that can affect mood in children and adults. Most of these chemicals didn't even exist a few generations ago, so our bodies are not adapted to them.
A very large and well-controlled British study a couple of years ago confirmed that not only several common food colors (two of which are banned in the U.S.), but also the preservative sodium benzoate made hyper kids measurably more hyper. See a report here: http://www.consumerhealthreviews.com/articles/GeneralHeal...
There are also other sensitivities/allergies that make children physically or mentally uncomfortable and hard to please. She might be sending out signals for help, but have no real idea why, if she's just always at odds with her own body.
I have severe chemical sensitivities, and get both physical and emotional symptoms to exposures to perfumed toiletries, home cleaning products, fabric softeners and air "fresheners." (Many of these are just downright toxic.) In group testing situations, I have watched children go from contentedly coloring to bouncing off walls, screaming, crying, or being impossibly stubborn just minutes after having drops of some dilute solution squirted under their tongues.
It would be worth checking out. You can try sealing all suspicious products in plastic bags and using free and clear detergent, baking soda or vinegar for most cleaning for the next 2-3 weeks, and watch for any improvements. If reintroducing the products back into the home then results in worse behavior, you'll have a possible solution to work on.
I know this sounds like a lot of change, but it's really not that hard to try. Most of the household products and toiletries commonly used are really not needed, and they are expensive. We believe we need them because the advertising is so compelling. But I've used very little for cleaning in my home besides baking soda, white vinegar, borax, hydrogen peroxide, and scent-free detergent for over 20 years. My house always smells clean and pleasant – and visitors often remark that the atmosphere is "calming." I think their bodies are noticing the lack of toxins in the air.
I have a daughter... and a son.
It seems, and from other friends that have Daughters... that they are more emotional. And changing moods too.
BUT... my daughter gets like that, more... when she is tired or hungry.
Does your child nap?
If not, it may benefit her, to do so.
Even at this age.
My daughter, is more even keeled... when rested.
ALSO, the brand "Animal Parade" makes something called "Warm Milk"... which is a calcium chewable supplement. For kids.
Calcium, even for women, is known to help "moods" and help with calmness.
Just adding this... per the other responses you have... which are all helpful to consider.
Girls... are emotional.
I doubt... your girl is Bi-Polar.
And yes, their 'hormones' do... affect them.
Wish I could help you. My daughter is 4 1/2 and can go from happy to angry or sad in about one second for reasons that I really don't understand. I've heard this complaint from lots of parents of 4 year olds and it seems to be common. Hopefully you'll get lots of helpful responses from people who've been there.
this may not be helpful, but my son just turned four a couple months ago - it has been by FAR the worst age yet. i really thought we were so lucky when we avoided the terrible two's and the "threes are worse than twos"...-he has always been such a sweet, conscientious, biddable child - but four has been a nightmare. it always starts with him not wanting to do something i have asked him to do (like get dressed for school, usually), then when i put him in time out, literally, all hell breaks loose. one thing i have noticed with my son in particular, they were mostly in the mornings when he first woke up. i started giving him a small snack first thing when he wakes up (i take him to daycare and they feed him breakfast, so otherwise, it's over an hour before he gets to eat) and it has helped tremendously. my fingers crossed that this has solved the problem!! will continue reading to see other helpful hints. hope you can solve yours!
I wouldn't worry- my daughter is 41/2 and is like jeckle and hyde-lol. One minute she is just fine and the next she is terribly upset over something little. I think it's pretty normal. My daughter doesn't have the sad moods so much but does go from happy to angry in .5 seconds. Most of the time I just try to give her space to work it out- I think sometimes her mood swings are attention getters so I don't play along. She is very moody when she is tired I've noticed. I know my daughter has realized that acting sad gets her extra attention. I still give her compassion but I try to move past things quickly. I can understand your worries with the family history but really think it's normal.
As far as normal? I don't know....can I relate? YES! My son is not quite 4...he will be at the end of April but he does this...it's frustrating because I will be relaxing (or trying) and he will be quietly playing with his toys and will just start freaking out about something...things frustrate him...when he can't figure out how to do something...he won't casually try to figure it out...he will yell and clench his teeth....I tell him to "chill out" and I just end up doing whatever it is that is frustrating him for him. For example, he was trying to zip up his backpack this morning and couldn't. I just ended up doing it for him because he just gets SO frustrated. Good luck to you and I hope it's just a temporary thing like most things are at this age. I am curious to see what advice you get :)
