Question
I have a 15 year old daughter who once suffered from horrible anxiety. We went through a very rough patch with her between the ages of 9 yrs to about 13 yrs. After extensive therapy and exposure to a phobia, she is now off her medication and doctor free! That's the good news. Now, she has been showing signs of extreme negativity, which I expect at this age. The thing that concerns me is her reaction to her sister and people at school. She will tell me of incidents that happen at school (It usually ends up with her glaring at the person or ignoring her friends). I also catch her being mean to her sister and I respond with the usual, "Treat people how you want to be treated" or "Your sister has had a few years of abuse from you and needs a break." Her reaction is usually, "I do these things because I'm a mean or nasty person" and "I don't need these people." I don't usually react to these responses because frankly, how do you respond to that? Other than taking away her phone or sending her to her room for a bit when she's in "the mood" and disrespecting her family, do you have any other suggestions on how to respond to such negativity?
