difficult child 2 is back to being a rock hound...

[gcvmom]

but this time I think he's going to be into this at a more acceptable/normal level. The last time he was into rock collecting, he was OB.SESSED. And of course, he was manic/hypomanic at the time. He practically slept with his rocks. And he wanted to have every rock he came across. There was no satisfying him at all.

Today we went to a rock shop and he was very cool about it. Looked at drawer after drawer of specimens. Had little conversations with the shop owner and some other kids who were there. He was attentive and engaging. Very nice to see him behave so calmly and NORMAL in this setting. There were no meltdowns over what he could or could not have (it was sort of an early birthday trip to let him pick out a few things), and so when we had to negotiate over what he wanted and what I could afford to get him, it was settled quickly and amicably. He still had a hard time with keeping his hands off some things he shouldn't have been touching, despite a reminder or two before we went in, but it was also close to is afternoon dosing time, so I chalk it up to that.

I really think this Namenda we've added is going to be helpful for his focus and attention and won't mess with his bipolar medications. I've dropped his evening Seroquel by 100mg, and so far so good for the past two days. He's still tired in the morning, but he seems to snap out of the fog quicker than before. Who knows, perhaps once we fully titrate up on the Namenda he'll be able to come down further on the evening Seroquel.

I found out there's a kids rock club nearby and they take monthly field trips that sound awesome, so I think I'll sign up difficult child 2 in January when their new membership year begins. It will be good for him to meet other kids who share a common interest and who probably think a lot like he does.

 

[ML]

I'm glad to hear the medications are tempering the obsession and will allow him to enjoy his hobby.

 

[Wiped Out]

Good for difficult child! I'm glad the new medications are helping!

 

[TPaul]

My difficult child is the same way, obessive about collecting knives. It started out that we would look for old ones that we could buy at a good price and sell and split the profit. Now he is obsessed with trying to get as many as he can. I have had to put a brake on it, and tell him he as enough right now, and to wait for maybe a xmas present. Also told him he needs to think more about quality and not quantity.

Do others find thier difficult child obsessed with various things like these? Interested to hear what others say.

Tpaul

 

[gcvmom]

Tpaul, I think that's another hallmark of manic behavior. My husband was similarly inclined about certain things before he got on a mood stabilizer (for his seizures, thank God!)

difficult child 2 has been like this over lizards (we had 17 at one point, and was obsessed about catching more), plastic toy animals and Hotwheels (he also used to line these up), Pokemon cards (still too numerous to count), and the rocks.