I have a 6yo son with ADHD. He is doing really well, on medication, and we are happy with his progress. I have worked hard to help him process emotions that he faces as his is prone to emotional outbursts. However, this one I am struggling with. He has a 5 yo sister and anytime we are in public or in the car about to drop him off at school carpool, if she does anything silly or not what he would consider "normal" behavior, he gets really anxious and overwhelmed. He'll say, "stop, please stop," anxiously and then it will progress to yelling at her when she doesn't stop. It could be that she is singing a song, or wearing sunglasses that he doesn't want others to see her in, or one time she had a fake mustache on. He says it is embarrassing but it clearly makes him anxious. He is a smart kid and my tactic has been to tell him, what your sister does or how your sister acts does not mean that anyone thinks differently about you. I tell him that his sister is her own person and controls her own body and it is not for him to worry about unless she is hurting herself or someone else. At Target the other day she was standing close to the mannequins and he thought she would knock it over and he was getting super anxious. I told him, if she knocks it over then it is my responsibility and hers to deal with, not yours, so try not to worry about it. It doesn't seem to register with him and I need more ideas and advice please.
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