This post is part 5 of 5 in the series To Train Up a Child.

I truly thought I had a few more years before this kind of drama began.

And I kind of expected it to come from my eldest child who, at 10, is a tween.

Instead it came from my eight-year-old. (Is an eight-year-old a tween? It certainly feels like it!) My sweet girl who still loves to cuddle in bed at night. My baby who so fits the rhyme

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good she was very, very good.

And when she was bad she was horrid.

I can remember my mother reciting that to me when I was a child. And now I suppose the “Mother’s Curse” has returned to me.

You know the one….

I hope someday you have a child just like you.

Thanks, Mom.

Parenting a Dramatic Tween

In case you can’t read the very dramatic note above, it says,

Today i am going to run away i’m not wanted.

From Caelan (broken heart)

When she brought it to me and I read it, it was all I could do not to laugh. My brokenhearted girl was so very serious.

What caused the issue (this day)? If I remember correctly, it had to do with a Minecraft update. Her sister’s game showed an update available and hers didn’t. And no amount of explaining that I could update it was getting through. And, as I was telling her I could update it, she began to cry.

Over Minecraft.

No. Just no.

You DO NOT CRY over a video game. I made her put away her Kindle and go to her room. I’m sure I yelled, and I know I was frustrated by the fact that she wouldn’t listen. Sending her to her room was, to me, the best solution. It would give her time to calm down — and I wouldn’t say something I shouldn’t.

A couple days later something else happened. I honestly don’t remember what — something so small that it didn’t even register to me. And I know I didn’t shout. But as she walked away tears were forming in her eyes and she said, “I knew it. You don’t want me here.”

What?!?

Oh child, you may just break my sanity.

Tips for Raising a Dramatic Child

All the world’s a stage, Momma, and you are merely a player in this act. These are my steps when the production is about to begin.

• Take a deep breath and count to 10. Maybe 20. Possibly more, depending on how long the first act lasts.
• See if you can figure out the root of the problem. Sure, she may be upset about the Minecraft update, but maybe something else happened before that to begin the theatrics.
• Be a rapt audience. As in stop what you are doing and give your full attention.
• Don’t try to be the solution. This always backfires (see above story). Instead, ask how your child thinks the tragedy can be dealt with.
• Time for intermission. Sometimes your child may need to be alone, but I find that a hug from mom still works wonders.
• Begin Act 2. And hope for a comedy.

I truthfully say that this doesn’t always play out the way I imagine it should. Apparently, kids are more improv than script actors.

Do you have a dramatic child? Or think you may have one in the future? What tips do you have to share?

Read more from our To Train Up a Child series!

• To Train or Not to Train: Not Even a Question
• Top Tips for Sleep Training
• How to Potty Train Your Child
• Your Circus, Your Monkeys