Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 I am wondering if anyone can provide some objective feedback for me on my son 's (age 8 ) latest quirk. I am having a hard time figuring out if this is OCD, just an obsessive personality quirk or just normal 8 year old kid stuff (or a little of all 3). A few weeks ago he rode an electric scooter while at a friend's house and just loved it. He began asking if he could get one, to which I said no,(they cost upward of $180 and more) but maybe he could ask for one for Christmas or birthday. Anyhow, this weekend he became ultra focused on getting this scooter, searching the web for them and generally getting very moody and angry that we spent money on home improvement, but wouldn't spend it on him. This topic seemed to take up an inordinate amount of time this weekend. Yesterday he asked how he could earn some money to save up himself, so we assigned a few chores (his cleaning compulsion has faded since he restarted medication). Then he asked if he could earn money for doing extra math homework. My husband thinks this is a great way to turn his obsession into something positive (learns math, learns how to save money and work for a goal), but I have red flags up and am concerned we would be just feeding the obsession if we go along. I can see him wanting to spend every moment doing math packets instead of playing or sleeping or eating. I have shared my concerns with and told him I would cut him off if I felt it was becoming out of hand. Part of me is afraid to even let it get started, but the other part wonders if I am just being unduly anxious myself. Any thoughts anyone? Thanks! - (MI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 Hi, . I see some red flags too. My older daughter will do things like this and I used to not see it in the beginning. If she wants something that I am not willing to buy her, she will even turn down treats (like a candy bar in the grocery store) and ask for the money instead. Once she gets the item, she has little to do with it. Hannah also would become obsessed with items in her prize box and I finally had to put a limit on how many points she could earn in a week so she wouldn't run around frantically touching contaminated items just to get a two dollar prize. On the other hand, it could be that just really wants the scooter and is willing to do anything to get it. Good luck! Kelley in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 Both my children do this, but my non-OCD child is by far the worst about it. He obsesses about one thing after another, and gets so over-focused on it that he drives us all crazy. But I guess regardless of whether it is an OCD thing or not, it would probably be helpful to put liimits on his earning money towards it or talking about it. You could say " two extra chores a day, and no more " or something along those lines. I think a big part of this is just being 8 years old and wanting something NOW, along with being old enough to understand how money fits into it. My 11 year old is much less intense about getting things instantly - instead she just keeps asking, " I'm not trying to bug you, but when do you think we can get my.... " Good luck, in NV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 , That's my son all over. Lindsey's OCD is totally different then my 10 year olds. But what you describe is what my son does. If its just the scooter thing,then its probably more of an 8 year old thing then a OCD problem,but it's likely to be both! ph gets ultra focused on things.and getting scooter was one, he about drove me crazy! He talked about it,strategized about how to get one,researched on the internet. He's actually still focused on getting a scooter. Its a OCD kind of focus! He does the same thing with movies and singers. Ifs fine if he would talk about other things too,but the three topics are very stressful to hear over and over. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 My son does that too, and I do think that it is related to his OCD. One thing that has helped us is to change the terminology. For my son, " obsessing " has very negative connotations, and he doesn't think of his overreactions as obsessing. We call it " getting stuck " and " over-reacting " (which is really what it is). So we won't say, " You're obsessing about Yu-Gi-Oh cards " We'll say, " You're really stuck on wanting that scooter. " and " I think you're over reacting. If you want to have a goal and think about what you are going to do, that is fine; but I don't want to listen to it all day. " We do set limits about the amount of time he can talk about a specific subject when he starts to perseverate. Jeanne jwestpha@... NBCT - Exceptional Needs (2000) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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