Beth--e and rule-breaking

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth, it's possible that e's rule-breaking is part of her OCD. I

know it is for Kellen, and it's always penny-ante infractions, such as you

described e doing (going to the off-limits creek, eating cereal when

told to wait--then making sure you are aware, forcing you to react--in

Kellen this is a " need to confess " compulsion.) The more an adult tells or

warns Kellen don't do such and such, usually in an attempt to make

absolutely sure she understands, the more she feels pressured to do just the

thing she's been told not to do. So, her teacher has the class lined up,

they're about to walk through the hallway, and the teacher reminds them, " No

talking in the hallway " and Kel can be counted on to blurt something out as

she crosses the threshold into the hall. BTW, someone told me this is

really more Tourettish than OCDish but to Kel it's all the same. You might

ask e if she thinks OCD (or whatever she calls it) wants her to do bad

things or wants bad things to happen to her (the punishments that come her

way for breaking rules), or maybe wants her to make you sad and not love

her anymore. At home I do the paradoxical response to these behaviors but

we haven't come up with a good plan for the classroom yet.

Kathy R. in Indiana

> From: " Wayt " <rwwayt@...>

>

> Wanda, First let me ask you if is still doing good with the clothes?

> e this week got 2 check marks in one day .One for breaking the recess

> rules ,by going to a creek that is off limits.When asked if she knew that

it

> was against the rules,she said yes and that she wanted to see if it was

> frozen. Than at nap time she was told not to get up a few times and got up

> anyway to get a tissue. Than that night at home ,right after supper she

> asked if she could get some cereal, I told her to wait a little bit .I

went

> in the other room and she came to me and open ed her mouth and showed me

the

> cereal in it . I got up dumped the rest of the cereal and had her write 10

> times ,I will obey.( I made her to this for the 2 check marks she got at

> school too) WELL when I came to look at her paper she had wrote......I

will

> No obey. I took the paper from her and had her do it over again. When we

> talked about what she did she told me she didn't like it when people

bossed

> her.When we went to bed ,I told her that rules were to protect her ,and

that

> they were good for us to have. She said " Oh nannie my head is telling me

to

> tell you to shut up! " I told her she better not listen to her head,or her

> popo would be sore. We both laughed. I'm starting to see some things I

don't

> like in e. does anyone else see this kind of thing?

> ----- Original Message ----- Love Beth in IN.