[eekhelpmeee]

I work at home babysiting an infant and a two yr old, I have a three yr old and am pregnant with my second child. First let me explain that my daughter has been an angel since day one, every single person who has babysat has told me she is the best kid they've ever watched!:rolleyes: she is amazing, she listens to dad perfect, and me about half the time ( he's way more intimidating and strick) but really has never given me too serious of problems...
But when I babysit my friends kids, my daughter has horns, I cannot beieve how terrible she acts and I don't know what to do with her! We recently moved into a two story house with roomates living downstairs so in the mornings I try to keep the kids resonably quiet, we have hard wood floors so I set a no running inside rule and no screaming... gues what their FAVORITE thing to do is? But my daughter will go from swinging around our lamp, pulling on the curtains, picking on the puppy, hitting the two yr old, running, screaming to yelling at me and telling or screaming no at me when I ask something of her! :mad: I've tried sending her to her room, which she always tells me no to, I've tried time outs, taking away things like a toy or saying were not going to watch her movie, I used to not believe in spanking, but I find myself spanking her everyday and that's still not doing it, she still will go back to acting out and screaming about everything.
And it doesn't help that the kids I babysit are special stories of their own, but they'll listen to me, I know a lot about kids I've been working w them for a few yrs and have always loved childcare, I quit my job at a daycare to stay hom and watch these kids and have my daughter with me, but I'm really beginning to regret it, I'm just at wits end and have no clues niether does anyone else, all I hear is either do you spank her? Or people don't believe she can be such a terror... what do I do??

[webby57]

How much special attention are you giving her? Does she do this when the daycare kids are not there? Maybe you need to have some one on one time with just her. My wife has done daycare for many years, including our 2 children. She always sets some time just for them, maybe while the other children are taking naps. Spanking will work with some kids and you may need to put the child in some king of time out. Just don't spank when you are mad. You will have to try some different technics to see which one will work. But make sure you show her a lot of love.

[88sunflower]

Well I wouldn't say spank her. If you have never spanked her before, now these children are around and you make the choice to spank her, won't that make her take her anger out on the kids now? She might see herself never being spanked until now and she might blame it on the other children.

I think maybe she might need your attention. When the other kids go home are you to tired to play with her and spend time with her? She might feel threatened with the others around and not understand its your job now. Try to let her know she is still special.

[Justwantfair]

Are you rewarding good behaviors and helping to ignore the bad behaviors.
Most acting out is about reinforcing attention, no matter how she receives it.
It is difficult to diagnose when I can tell you are a capable parent and you are frustrated.
With a move, new children in the house, a Mommy who is pregnant, there is no doubt that your three year old is at her emotional limit, hopefully with some consistency and some settlement you will find your life back in peace.