Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 > Hi! My grandson is 12 yrs. old, and lives with us. He has extreme > fears and anxieties about sleeping alone. We talk about it, and look > for ways to help him overcome his fears. So far, most nights he > wants someone to sleep with him. Have any of you had to deal with > this, and what did you do? Barbara This is just my opinion...so, I could be completely off-track here. However, my thoughts have always been " if the kid wants to sleep in the same room with us...fine. " . My son, OCD/Tourette's, has always had trouble sleeping by himself. He slept with me until he was almost 3 years old. He's 12 now, and still occassionally needs the extra comfort. Now, we let him sleep on the couch until we go to bed...or we let him grab his sleeping bag and sleep on our bedroom floor. Its SSOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than trying to convince them to sleep in their own rooms. Eventually, they will either grow out of it...or the frequency will get further and further apart. Minor inconvenience...and so much more comforting, I think, to let a kid know that you will be there when they need him. --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 My son is 10 and has the same problem amongst many more! I sleep on a couch in my sons room. ALWAYS. My husband and I both understand and agree that this is the way it is right now. He truly is scared. You are not alone! Beverly in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 My son is 10 and has the same problem amongst many more! I sleep on a couch in my sons room. ALWAYS. My husband and I both understand and agree that this is the way it is right now. He truly is scared. You are not alone! Beverly in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 > My son is 10 and has the same problem amongst many more! I sleep on a couch > in my sons room. ALWAYS. My husband and I both understand and agree that this > is the way it is right now. He truly is scared. You are not alone! That's really amazing...you and your husband both get gold stars, in my book! I really believe that some children NEED (not want) that extra re-assurance that someone is sleeping near them. I notice the more re-assurance my son gets, the more willing he is to try it alone...and the need to sleep by me gets less and less. --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 > My son is 10 and has the same problem amongst many more! I sleep on a couch > in my sons room. ALWAYS. My husband and I both understand and agree that this > is the way it is right now. He truly is scared. You are not alone! That's really amazing...you and your husband both get gold stars, in my book! I really believe that some children NEED (not want) that extra re-assurance that someone is sleeping near them. I notice the more re-assurance my son gets, the more willing he is to try it alone...and the need to sleep by me gets less and less. --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 Talk about feeling like a horrible parent... My son is 12 years old and he never goes to sleep before 11 or midnight...sometimes even 1 am. This, to me, is crazy. My two daughters were always in bed no later than 9 pm. simple isn't wired that way. He usually falls asleep to the tv (MY GOD!!!! That goes against EVERYTHING I believe in, as a parent!!!). As you said, trying to get him to go to bed at a decent hour is exhausting. To anyone, except a parent of an OCD child, the answer would be " You just have to be consistent. Make him go to bed. Don't give in to him. " Yeah...I know. If only it were that simple. Even my 18 year old daugher, who KNOWS and UNDERSTANDS 99% of what we go through with and his OCD, told me today " You know, if you would make go to bed earlier...he wouldn't be so difficult to get moving in the morning. " Yeah, going to bed early will make him not have to tie his shoes " JUST RIGHT " before he can leave...and so on, and so on, and so on. I am extremely thankful that I found this group. You have no idea (well, probably you do!) how much I need to know that is very normal...for kids with OCD/Tourettes. --Tina > My 12 year old son has been falling asleep every night on the living room > couch which turns into a bed for several months now. He has to put in a > movie and watch something before he goes to sleep. I don't like the idea, > but it is a solution for him. He can't sleep in his own room (which he > shares with his older brother) because when he does, there are too many > things which need to be 'arranged' and it takes too long when he is tired, > and exhausts me also, since he wants me to help him once he has already > washed his hands. I'm not sure why he doesn't need to arrange things in the > living room, but I'm glad for something. He used to do this, too, before he > began medication. We also have a difficult time getting him on a regular > routine and I feel guilty leaving him awake while I go to sleep, but I can > barely function as it is with the amount of sleep I end up getting. When he > has a bad dream or just wakes up in the middle of the night, he comes to my > room and falls asleep at the end of my bed. So basically, in answer to your > question, I feel it is important to makes things as easy and comfortable for > him as possible. And as others have said, hopefully he will grow out of it > sooner than later. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 My 12 year old son has been falling asleep every night on the living room couch which turns into a bed for several months now. He has to put in a movie and watch something before he goes to sleep. I don't like the idea, but it is a solution for him. He can't sleep in his own room (which he shares with his older brother) because when he does, there are too many things which need to be 'arranged' and it takes too long when he is tired, and exhausts me also, since he wants me to help him once he has already washed his hands. I'm not sure why he doesn't need to arrange things in the living room, but I'm glad for something. He used to do this, too, before he began medication. We also have a difficult time getting him on a regular routine and I feel guilty leaving him awake while I go to sleep, but I can barely function as it is with the amount of sleep I end up getting. When he has a bad dream or just wakes up in the middle of the night, he comes to my room and falls asleep at the end of my bed. So basically, in answer to your question, I feel it is important to makes things as easy and comfortable for him as possible. And as others have said, hopefully he will grow out of it sooner than later. Lainey bedtime fears Hi! My grandson is 12 yrs. old, and lives with us. He has extreme fears and anxieties about sleeping alone. We talk about it, and look for ways to help him overcome his fears. So far, most nights he wants someone to sleep with him. Have any of you had to deal with this, and what did you do? Barbara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 Interesting poll! I was TERRIFIED of the dark as a kid, so I definetly understand what Annie deals with. But I hated being so controlled by that fear - I sometimes was too scared to get up to run to my mom's room! I would like to let Annie sleep with us, but I know that it would grow into a bigger and bigger thing (no sleepovers, etc.) and she sees the fear as an OCD thing that she wants to beat. If my son had the same issues, I think I'd react differently - his problems resolve with time instead of mushrooming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 9, 2003 Report Share Posted June 9, 2003 Yes I was the same when I was young! Good poll. Beverly in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2003 Report Share Posted June 10, 2003 The nighttime OCD fears made me go Hmmmmmm. My s14 yr. old son started OCD behaviors years ago. We started Zoloft about 18 mos. ago because he had nightmares about OCD germs and could not sleep. Then, for a while (several months off and on) he would sleep in our room on our floor in a nest of pillows and blankets. He said that he did that when he did not take a shower at night so he could keep his bed clean. Since that time with the Zoloft and therapy he has come a long way. Washes less often and is able to go to some places which he thought were dirty before (like downtown areas). There is a " Hey Arnold " cartoon about a character Sid who develops a contamination OCD when he touches a frog and hears about the warts, etc. Sid does the obsessive cleaning wearing a space suit and he also has nightmares about germs (like bugs) coming to get him. said he had those nightmares before the Zoloft. Anyway, somehow the kids talk Sid out of the ocd --it's a cartoon what do you expect? Another cartoon, Dexter's Laboratory is about his Mom who wears rubber gloves all the time and cleans obsessively. They take her gloves away for her birthday to be able to treat her and let her rest. She imagines all the dirt around her and freaks. They surprise her just in time with a new set of rubber gloves and everyone is happy. Interesting that someone who is developing cartoons is subtly showing the kids someone they might recognize (themselves). xslav@... wrote: > I, too, will go against the grain here a bit. While I have no problem with > kids sleeping with their parents if everyone is happy about it, in our household > it was definetly an OCD problem, and letting OCD win is never a win-win > situation for us. My daughter is almost 11 and has had problems sleeping since she > was little. We have battled the bedroom scene for years. When she was three, > we sat outside her door until she fell asleep, constantly reassuring her that > we were still there (she wouldn't settle down if we were IN the room with her). > When she got hit with OCD at four, she started to sleepwalk every single > night and we had to wait up until that was over to get any sleep. Then for a few > years we'd find her on our bedroom floor when we woke up. A couple of years ago > her therapist convinced her to try to move a bit down the hall toward her > room gradually over the course of a few weeks. She was thrilled when she finally > managed to be comfortable in her own room. Whenever her OCD gets worse, we > start finding her in the hall outside our room again, or on our floor in some > unexpected place. This last week she decided she wanted to earn " OCD Bucks " by > spending the night in her own bed, and doing other OCD-related things. She > earned five " bucks " in a row (five nights in her own bed) and earned the privilege > of staying up late last night. She is proud as a peacock. > In her case, she feels bad about herself when she can't do something > that other kids her age do easily, and is always happy when she wins against > her OCD. But it's a battle that returns again and again!! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2003 Report Share Posted June 10, 2003 Don't forget the Rugrats' Chuckie...he's very OCD. One episode especially has Chuckie freaking because the other kids are getting his toys out of their " proper " arrangement. A lot of the episodes turn on Chuckie and his fears, with the other kids encouraging him along. I've always wondered if Chuckie's OCD is purposeful on the part of the writers. As you say, the problem is always solved by the end of the half hour, but I like how the kids are accepting and helpful rather than teasing. Some of these cartoon portrayals have really made an impression on Kellen, with the idea that OCD can't be that unusual if it's showing up in cartoons that zillions of kids watch. Kathy R. in Indiana ----- Original Message ----- From: tgammage <snip> There is a " Hey Arnold " cartoon about a character Sid who develops a contamination OCD when he touches a frog and hears about the warts, etc. Sid does the obsessive cleaning wearing a space suit and he also has nightmares about germs (like bugs) coming to get him. said he had those nightmares before the Zoloft. Anyway, somehow the kids talk Sid out of the ocd --it's a cartoon what do you expect? Another cartoon, Dexter's Laboratory is about his Mom who wears rubber gloves all the time and cleans obsessively. They take her gloves away for her birthday to be able to treat her and let her rest. She imagines all the dirt around her and freaks. They surprise her just in time with a new set of rubber gloves and everyone is happy. Interesting that someone who is developing cartoons is subtly showing the kids someone they might recognize (themselves). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2003 Report Share Posted June 10, 2003 Hrmmm...cartoons are driving our kids to OCD!!!! ;-) --Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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