I have a dd who turned 9 in December. For about the past couple of months, I have noticed moodiness in her that I have not noticed before. I would say about once every two weeks, she comes home from school in the worst mood! Tuesday night was that night. It took all I had to get her through her homework and dinner and all of that. I was just counting the minutes until bedtime! She is mouthy and in general, just moody!! Last night, she was right back to her sweet (most of the time) fun little self. She has lots of friends and plays with them just fine. No problems going on like that. She always mentions who she eats lunch with and who she plays with on recess and stuff like that. I am wondering if it is just that she is ready for a break from school with Spring break coming soon or if it is little hormones already or if it is something more that I should be concerned with. If you have a girl around the same age, did you notice this too? Is it just normal for this age? Any help is appreciated!!

By Janet on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 09:59 am:

My dd is just about 9, and she has become pretty crabby lately. My older dd went through this too, and I would have to put it down to hormones. Believe it or not, at 9, things are starting to kick in! I don't think you need to be concerned, especially if she's social and is talking to you about her day.

By Babysitbarb on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:02 am:

Yes, believe it or not it's very normal for this age. Been there twice now. I have a 15 and 11 year old. It's hormonal I do belive. My oldest went through it much longer then the younger one did.She would be setting at the counter doing homework and if we tried talking to her about her day she would be in tears. We first worried that maybe she was being picked on and just would tell us but, I started looking things up and found that it was her hormones. I had to also explain this to my DH because he would call her a big baby and that would only make it worse. He's not very symphathetic to this type of thing because he was never a girl. LOL He gre up with 3 sisters so you would think he would understand.

By Babysitbarb on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:06 am:

It was suppose to say grew up ,not gre. Sorry! Try typing in preteens in search or keyword and it will give you info on her age also.

By Mommyduncan on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:27 am:

My dd is 9 1/2 and she sounds just like your dd, except her mood can change every 30 mins. It's so frustrating, but I know it's her hormones. It's hard to expect them to control their hormones, when I have a hard time and I'm 32 years old!

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 11:18 am:

Yeap, my just-turned-12yo has had hormonal crabbies for quite a while now. I think it started about the time she started getting breast buds, when she was about 9 or 10.

By Vicki on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 12:05 pm:

WOW...THANKS ladies. You have really put my mind at ease. I too wondered if she was having problems with friends at school or something, but it doesn't appear at all to related to that. I can't believe it is hormonal already!! Yikes. But it is a very comforting feeling to know that it is very normal for her to be acting like this.

By Happynerdmom on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 01:22 pm:

Ditto everyone else. I'd just add that, for me, it actually got better after she started her period. At least now, her moodinesss is more predictable! BTW, it doesn't necessarily mean that she will be starting real soon. My dd was very hormonal for a long time, and even had pubic hair in the 4th grade, but didn't start until she was almost 13. When her breasts start growing, that's when to get ready!

By Hhanya108 on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 01:51 pm:

My DD is now 17 and is still like that! She started changing about age 11--it is finally getting better though. Girls may mature earlier, but certainly not faster! You will grow right along with her during the next few years--my suggestion: try to stay calm and keep communicating no matter how hard it seems to get.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 02:41 pm:

My 12yo certainly could get her period anytime, but hasn't yet. The rest of her body seems ready. Her sister started at 11 and 5 months. I didn't start until 13, so sometime this year I would imagine.