I'm looking for some parenting advice about my DD's weird behavior. I'm pretty much at a loss at this point. She is almost 4-years-old. As a toddler she put *everything* in her mouth, even things she found on the ground or in the trash can (gag). I assumed she'd grow out of this but at age three she was still eating things, like marker tips. Once we found her hiding in the bathroom cupboard sucking down the toddler toothpaste! She also would write on the walls and all over her body with pen or markers. She finally stopped putting everything in her mouth at about 3 1/2, but still will occasionally write all over her body. She loves to draw...but knows she is not supposed to draw on anything but paper. Now that she is learning to cut with scissors, she has started cutting things that she knows she is not supposed to cut...her hair, toys, you name it she will try to cut it! I guess I'm hoping someone else has dealt with this type of behavior and can give me some advice. I've obviously disciplined her with everything from spankings, time-outs, loss of markers/scissors/etc to sometimes (unfortunately) losing my cool and yelling at her. I don't want to shame her...she is very sensitive to yelling or criticism. But, I don't want her to continue this behavior! Anyone have any ideas for me?! Thanks in advance.
My best answer is that it sounds perfectly normal to me! I know that's not much comfort, but most of the kids I know went through the same things, some more than others. Just keep on with the time-outs, taking away whatever it is she's not supposed to have, and do the best you can to keep stuff she's not supposed to haver away from her. (My dgs was also found sucking down the toddler toothpaste, got hold of scissors and cut some things I could have cried over, and loves "tattoos" made with markers. He's 5, so I hope he outgrows it soon!)
Weeelllll lets just say my hair eventually grew back and I turned out okay. (It really was my older sister's idea! I was just too dumb to realize if I did what she said I would be almost bald.)
LOL!! This is too funny.. We never dealt with this when the kids were younger But a few months ago my older son got mad at younger son and shaved a spot on his head while he was asleep. They are 14 and 12.
Sounds normal to me. My kids have all gone through that phase and still my 6yo still draws on himself.
I think it sounds like a sensory integration disorder. Toddlers okay to taste trash, 4 yr old would border line on worrying me.
It sounds pretty normal. My son is almost 2 and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth, but he also has a sensory issue. I used to draw on myself all the time when I was a kid, gee how long ago was that....yesterday? lol Still do it and I hope there is nothing wrong w/ me, also cut my kids hair. lol. I think it's she's a pretty normal kid. Just keep the things away form her, and she'll learn.
Sounds like my boys! My middle boy is 5 and he will still draw on himself with markers if I'm not paying attention. My Oldest is 7 and he will still try and cut things he shouldn't with scissors but it's getting better. Honestly I think it's normal and probably just the child trying to explore their world. I mean it's not like we give them scissors all the time so it's still something kind of new to them so any chance they get I'm sure they want to cut something, they know it should be paper but maybe in their minds they are curious to see how many different things scissors can cut. Besides I cut my own hair when I was 4...thankfully I cut the underside of my hair so it wasn't noticable at the time. I know I used to draw on anything I could find and that included walls, cabinets, the toilet, mirrors, myself, and windows...
When I started my preschoolers with scissors, I got plastic ones that cut paper great, but only paper. If it weren't for those scissors, we would have had some sliced fingers (so many times, I had to tell them to keep their fingers out of the cutting part). They got dull after the first year or two, but by then the kids were better about cutting only paper.
Sloan you made me laugh. And may I add I am ok too. I ate gum off the playground because we never got it at home, I chewed a marker tip off because it looked like a kind that could come apart. Let me tell you walking around PS with a mouth full of blue ink cured me of that not to mention it tasted disgusting. I drew on myself for fun and it washed off. I cut my barbies hair because I thought some of them should have shorter hair and I liked it that way. Kids are kids they are normal. As to the trash eating if you still see her doing it now or in awhile from now talk to your dr. There is a issue with some people it's vary rare though that do this as a compulsion. So just check because you wouldn't want to find her eating anything dangerous. Of course sounds like she really like her toothpaste. Kids lack good judgment at those early years and we just have to keep at them as my mother used to say to keep them out of trouble. This too shall pass.
Wow...it sounds like you were describing my daughter when she was that age...she did all those things! Lol! She still writes on herself and she's 15 now!
Thanks for the advice and reassurance. My DS wrote on himself as well when he was younger but my DD worries me because she continuously seems to be doing these types of things. I found out my DH's sister was this way as a kid...she ate deoderant and shaved her head (I guess i should be thankful we haven't had that happen)! Apparently I'll just have to wait for her to outgrow this! (sigh) (Oh, and to clarify, she doesn't eat things anymore. But she *just* stopped doing that within the last six months.) Thanks again!
I'm also thinking borderline here... although SID has recently been renamed to SPD (sensory processing disorder). Look for a book called "Out of Sync Child" to see if she fits the mold.
Girl, I stuffed things in my nose until I was about 7. Barbie shoes, orange seeds, Crayon tips anything. She seems typical, but I would have her checked out. The trash thing is a bit concerning.
Well isolated incidents of stupid things is normal for kids. I cut my hair when I was in first grade. I guess the OP just made it sound as if the kid did something weird every day. I mean what 4 yr old would go diggin out the trash every chance? If she seems like it is often she is doing these things, I think that is abnormal for her age. It may even be a sign of low IQ. My son is mentally retarded. He is 13. He eats dog poop, and picks up stuff of the ground, ect. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with her, I'm just saying depending on the frequency of it, it sounds suspicious to me.
LOL - so far nothing in the nose (phew!) As far as eating trash, she only did that as a toddler, which I know was not abnormal for that age. I just mentioned it in my post to show that there seems to be a pattern of "experimentation" which started with putting everything, including trash, in her mouth as a toddler to now (as an almost 4-year-old) coloring on herself and cutting anything and everything. I was concerned that maybe she had a lack of impulse control or something along those lines. I really appreciate all the advice and information. I'm going to be doing some googling! Thanks all.
