Dear MamaJo
What are some good ways to deal with a cranky 11 dd? She is always mad or irritated about something. I've trying to find ways to change her attitude.
I see two different things going on here and I will address the second one first. There is no way for you to change her attitude. It is hers and hers alone and you have absolutely no control over it. You may be effective in changing her behavior when she has a bad attitude but that will be the best that you can do.
Now, on to the first question. How do you deal with a cranky 11 year old? This subject is near and dear to my heart and I also have a cranky 11 year old.
Things I have tried that don't work. 1) Discipline 2) Ignoring 3) Make them do extra work 4) Let them take a break 5) Exercise
Things I have tried that did work. 1) Discipline 2) Ignoring 3) Make them do extra work 4) Let them take a break 5) Exercise
You may notice that the list is remarkably similar. I think that when the hormones start to kick in, it's a crap shoot. The key seems to be to keep your cool, do your best, and let them know that you love them. In the Bible it says (and I didn't look this up so this could very well be a MamaJo paraphrase) "Train them up in the way they should go and when they are OLD they shall not depart from it." I am hanging on to the word OLD here. My kids have a lot of time between now and OLD to depart from the way I want them to go.
Hang in there. It has the potential to get a whole lot worse before it gets better but who knows, maybe we will get lucky.
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