Is it normal for my 16 year old daughter to act out? I have never had any trouble with her till a month ago when my ex moved next door. Then we moved away. Does it have something to do with that? She has always behaved and done things when she was told, but now she just pushes people away, spends most of the day in her room (not at school yet), cries for no reason, screams and rants when I ask her to do anything, goes out without telling me where her is going, fights with her siblings all the time, won't eat and if she does its a little then she makes a trip to the bathroom, and is still wearing the same clothes she wore last week.
By mc4lifes from Sydney, NSW
I am no expert, but I would say it definitely is a result of the events of a month ago. How far away did you move? Is your daughter still able to be with her friends? She needs that. How about letting her have a party and inviting her friends over? If you are in a new city, perhaps you could invite a couple of teens from the new city to the party, too.
An obvious suggestion is to wait until she seems to be in a decent mood and ask her how she feels about your ex and everything that has transpired. Don't ask yes or no questions because the answer will probably be "no". If you are able to view her Facebook/Tumblr/Twitter/Instagram pages you may find clues that will help you ask the right questions.
Don't assume that she does not have accounts on any of these. All she needs is a friend with an iPhone or laptop to setup and maintain these social networking accounts and she can keep it completely under your radar.
