I wanna do what I want to do!!!

   For weeks I have been trying to figure out what is going on with Tator. She has become a lot harder to deal with. (Not that she was easy before) Argues about everything, does not listen to me at all and seems set off just by looking at me. She doesn't get along with any of the kids and is usually trying to upset them. I know she is scared out of her mind with school coming to an end and summer vacation starting. This causes alot of anxiety for her.

   The other night she shoved a chair into her brothers foot, on purpose, and hurt him. She had just came home from school so no one had really talked to her yet or done anything to set her off. So I asked her "why do you have to come home and immediately start making trouble with your siblings?" She said "because I wanna do what I want to do." Of course my reply was "hows that working for you?"

   Two days later we were at therapy and she told them the same thing "I wanna do what I want to do."

   I have been trying to figure out for a long time if this is something medicine can help or if its behavioral. Well I think I've figured it out.

   Tator has what I call "episodes" where she basically throws a fit. Running through the house grabbing the other kids stuff to make them mad, going into their rooms, throwing things at me, slamming doors, yelling, calling names, just defying anything she is told. She can get ticked off and start into a episode as quick as I can blink my eyes. She has also proved to me in the last few weeks she can turn it off as quick as she turns it on.

   We just got home from her psychiatrist and he has decided to slowly take her off the current med. she is on because it has not made a difference in her behavior. After the past few weeks I'm not surprised. I understand that she is a child who survived great trauma and she doesn't think like the typical child. But after the past few weeks watching her turn her "episodes" on and off when ever she wants this is mostly behavioral.