about a month ago all of the sudden she's been getting very emotional. My sister in law got into a car accident and she would not stop crying for her aunt for 30 minutes. Then a week later my mom got a cold and she cried over that too. It's been really weird - it seems like she's gotten in touch with her feelings for the 1st time or something. Is this normal?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
No doubt...girls are sensitive, but what changes has she gone through? Any new meds? Mom and Dad arguing? New school, new teacher? Take a look at what is going on with her.
Plug her meds into this website.
My 2 YO was depressed and it was the medication in her nebulizer. We stopped the medication and she was back to herself.
C.
My son was about 5 when he started feeling things more deeply. In fact all of his emotions became more intense including his temper! He's 12 now and he's still a sensitive child but he's also in the GT (Gifted and Talented) program and he excels in school, 6th grade and already at a college reading level. When they sent home the description of kids who fit the "GT" mold of highly intelligent children. What I did was try to talk him on his level but not to downplay what he was feeling. She's showing her fear of loss so explain to her that it's not a bad thing and try to highlight the positives (the aunt was ok, no one got hurt- I hope) etc.
Just keep talking to her about her feelings and keep letting her share them with you. Being sensitive is a good quality. :)
I hate to be too simplistic about it, but I have three boys and two (soon to be three) girls and I can tell you that boys are SO much easier! :) Boys will duke it out and be done with it, but girls will stew and brood and pout and cry... Just the other day my five year old daughter was walking through the room and she just began to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she just sobbed out, "I don't know!"
What many people don't realize is that our bodies are going through hormonal changes even that young, even though it is years before our cycles will begin. Below is an article that outlines extreme cases of this, but the facts are that our diets and improved health and lifespans, not to mention hormone supplements added to our food, etc. have caused us to be able to reproduce much earlier that prior generations. This has naturally pushed back the emotional changes that begin several years before puberty. This is especially true for girls who are more emotional anyway.
Again, the article below has some interesting statistics on the onset of the hormonal changes that accompany puberty. I am not saying that your five year old is experiencing puberty, but the hormonal changes that must occur years before puberty start to surface surprisingly early, especially in healthy societies like the one in which we live. I hope this helps! :)
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/puberty.html
Dear C.,
My 5 year old also goes to a great Christian school in Wheat Ridge. I wonder if maybe becasue she is learning about God's unconditional love and forgiveness. Maybe she is concerned about if someone dear to her was to pass on that they might not have accepted Christ yet. You would be amazed at how young kids understand this. My son when he was 4 was so mature in his faith it was like talking with an adult sometimes. My girl when ever something upsets her or scares her we stop and pray. I just tell her to talk it out with God, that he wants her to talk to him about the big stuff and the small stuff. It really seems to help her. She hers me talking/praying out loud all of the time so she knows it is all right. I hope this helps. I am sorry for any mistakes I left my glasses at home. Take care. J.
The statistics show that 1 out of 3 girls is in some way sexually abused before they reach adulthood. If her behavior seems 'weird' to you, listen to your gut. You know your child. You have already seen her transition through stages, and if this is radically different, then I would suggest a prompt visit to your family doctor.
My daughter just turned 5 and she's been doing the same thing. It seems like every little thing sets her off. I think part of it might be her age and temperament. She is our oldest and is three years older than our middle child and was used to being the center of attention; in that sense, I think she started doing it for attention (we also just had another baby last summer) because she'll look to see if we're watching. First, you should look to see why it is that she is getting so upset. It might help if you ask her what's bothering her and let her know it's okay for her to talk to you. She might just need somebody to listen to her and cries to get somebody to pay attention.
Aside from gently asking her if there has been something scary happening to her lately, possibly an adult is doing something/ or ask why that scared her so... I bet she can try to tell you something, children really respond to some one just repeating what they are feeling... i.e. wow, that really scared you when auntie got in the accident didnt it, its scary when we think our loved ones may be hurt. but shes fine now......
if it continues I'd see a naturopathic physician.
C.,
It sounds like her hormones are out of wack. Kids canstart to PMS as early as 4 years old. She might have had something happen that she can not communicate with you.
Get her hormones checked with the Dr. It is always something.
C. B
I think this is a normal developmental stage. She is probably become more aware of her feelings and able to empathize a little more with others. Up until this point she most likely was unable to understand how other people may feel when something happens to them. Due to the fact that a 5 year old does not have the same communication skills as an older child or an adult, you could have her draw what she is feeling during those times. Kids often communicate better through drawing, because it is something with which they are familiar. You can ask her about her drawing and probably get a lot more information rather than asking her a lot of questions.
I am going through the same thing with my 5-year old son. It's like you said, all of a sudden he has come in touch with all his emotions and is trying to deal with them. We'll be having fun playing a game or out at the park and all of a sudden he'll say to me "I'm sad" and when I ask him why his answer is I don't know or he misses one of our family members back East. But then he'll be laughing and having fun again a minute later. Nothing in his life has changed in the past 2 years so I am convinced it's just him getting older (he turned 5 in January) and becoming more aware of his feelings. Good luck. This too shall pass :)
This is not to scare you, but somethings wrong. If this is not your daughters normal behavior and it came up out of the blue, then something happened. I've never gone through this with any of my kids. But I remeber being that way when I was 5 and it was because my brother hurt me. She might not be old enough to communicate this to you.
It may not be as extreme as my incedent when I was 5, but someone could have said something mean to her, or told her something scary. You may want to start asking her questions and try and see if she tells you anything, and if this continues, Counseling with a trained professional might be good.
Have you left your daugther with any type of babysitting outside of school?
G.
Most little girls are super sensitive and when it comes to realizing people they love can get hurt or sick it becomes moreso even a bigger picture to them that they have to worry about more things. I have to say the broader their social circle in school these things come up more too. I know my daughter really got messages about weather and how damaging it can be when Katrina hit and she was 4 then. Then it was tornados and then it was realizing that something can tear up your home and hurt you. I educated her about it, showed her stuff about it and we read even a book they had at school about weather. I reassured her big time hurricanes don't happen in Colorado, hee hee. Once she felt educated it sort of gave her some control. When kids feel out of control that is a big reason they act up or get super emotional. Then of course as my daughter has gotten older and I can explain dangers to her more in depth and it seems to ease her mind a bit. I continue to reassure her, let her talk to me about her fears and promise it is my job as a mommy to worry and try and keep her safe, but sometimes bad things just do happen. I would say too make sure she is eating right and sleeping well. I know with my kids the over emotions is a sure sign they aren't resting well at night. Sit down and ask her what is bothering her or making her heart sad and then do your best to reassure her. Don't give false promises and be honest with her to the point she can comprehend. I think anytime something out of balance with what they are comfortable happens it can cause upset. Kids are ones to like to feel secure and safe and when something throws that off things can come tumbling down for them.
Good luck.
not to get personal but I think you prably need hormone pills , worked for me.
Her intense reactions could just be part of her personality or it could be many other things. I think the suggestions to encourage her to talk more about what she's feeling and especially to draw what she's feeling are great ideas. Follow your instincts, if you think there is something else going on, there is a good chance that there is something else behind her reactions. Talking and drawing are a great place to start. Talk with her teachers and get their view of her emotional reactions in the classroom. As some suggested, checking her hormone levels and medications may be appropriate. It may be helpful to get advice from a child mental health professional also.
