You are here

SD3 still not sleeping through the night

christinen's picture

I have a 3 year old stepdaughter who still does not sleep through the night. She doesn't just wake up once, but several times throughout the night, the most I have counted has been 4 (& this is all at age 3). She doesn't just go back to sleep either, she SCREAMS bloody murder & won't tell us what she wants. We have considered night terrors, but I think she is just a spoiled brat. My DH has joint custody so he has her every other week for the full week. When she is at BM's, she sleeps in bed with BM. Grandmom lives at BMs too so she is generally just a spoiled rotten child with no rules, manners or discipline whatsoever. The sleep issues are taking a toll on my relationship and my sanity. I can't function at work when I am being woken up in the middle of the night several times by a screaming 3 year old (it would be different if it were a baby just wanting to be fed, but she is literally throwing fits at 3am). When DH picks her up, she literally throws herself onto our bed, he puts her back in her bed & she starts the screaming again. HELP!!

Comments

pashiense's picture

My SD screamed in the middle of the night several times from the time she was 4 until she was 9 AND she lived with us FULL-TIME! I thought that I was going to snap when she was still doing that crap at age 9 & I was also pregnant with my first child. She's now 16.5 yrs old and I've been with her dad for 15 years. I think back & boy, it was and STILL IS alot of hard work to be in a relationship with a guy with child/ren. There's something about broken families and how the kids end up getting overly spoiled by family. Now I'm dealing with my SD's hormones & her drama queen 'tude. I hope she finds a job soon. My hubby will not go after his ex for back child-support (12+ years of back-child support & counting!) College for her will be upon the horizon. I hope she doesn't call her dad for money 'cause our bank account is joint - my next chapter in life with the S-kid Good luck to you.

christinen's picture

Thanks for the responses. I guess the major issue is the fact that BM is not willing to do anything as far as parenting. When DH asked her about having SD sleep in her own bed (he even bought a bed for her to have at her house) she actually said no, she is not going to do anything to help our relationship! She's a nutjob.

step-mommy dearest's picture

SD4 sleeps with her BM during the week and used to sleep with BD during the weekend (we have her EVERY weekend) but since we have moved in together we are facing almost the same issue! He has to lay in bed with her (in her bed in her room) til she falls asleep... then come get in bed with me! its CRAZY... and hard work and not something i enjoy... but keep working with her and maybe you can get her to the point that we have gotten ours!
GOOD LUCK!
We all need it!

christinen's picture

Does it ever work explaining to her she may do this at BM, but this is what we do at our house?