I have a brother that is four, and a niece that is turning seven next month. For the past two weeks my parents have had both of the kids on a trip upstate, and my mom was ready to pull her hair out by the time they got home. My little brother is no angel, but he minds most of the time. My niece, however, was pretty hard to deal with. Though she's almost seven, she doesn't always act her age. She was constantly hitting my brother, or spitting at him. When something would go wrong she would blame him automatically, even if he wasn't in the room. She says things that are hurtful, even to an adult (to my sister she said "I remember when you were skinny and had a job."), and she is constantly negative. I could give more specific examples, but it would be too much to read.

It's strange to me that a kid that's not even seven could be so mean-spirited and negative. My mom and I have been trying to think of reasons why she is so difficult. Since she is also constantly rowdy, fidgety and talks non-stop, and since she rarely ever minds, even after being told four or five times, we were wondering if she might have ADHD. I don't really have any experience with it, and was wondering if I could have some input. I know that ADHD is often over-diagnosed in kids her age, but she is acting more like my four year old brother than a seven year old girl. Since her parents let her behavior go unchecked (her nickname is Princess, and he daddy told her she is perfect), maybe it would do her good to look into this. Thanks everyone.