difficult child 2's not so funny jokes...

[totoro]

So I am wondering if anyone has had this happpen at such a young age before??? A little background, we have no TV, and because difficult child 1 is so sensitive to EVERYTHING we can only watch really basically very young or educational shows, nothing scary... ( we tried to watch Milo and Otis the other day, too scary!!!)

Anyway difficult child 2 has had night terrors in the past and has talked about the bad man in the closet and the boy in the closet which freaks me out.
So the other night as husband is putting her to bed she says "Daddy I have a joke, the bad man comes and chases the little girl and then he takes her. Get it? Ha Ha Ha"
So husband tells her he doesn't think that is a nice joke and tells her a funny joke. But she keeps going back to the bad man taking the girl and she laughs afterwards.
So then the last week and a half she keep telling me this joke but changing it up, he chases away the Mommy and the Daddy and then takes the girl, etc. I told her I didn't want anyone to take anygirls and Mommy wont let that happen, she just laughs. So I just kind of ignore her. Or I tell her a funny joke.

The thing I am wondering is difficult child 1 has these issues as well but we try not to talk about them in front of difficult child 2, but I suppose she could have heard something. But why would she respond this way even if she did hear something? And even when we are dealing with difficult child 1 we never make a big deal of it or give her lots of attention.
The other thing I am wondering is I have read in some of the BiPolar (BP) books is that kids can have night terrors and they can manefest themselves into their "reality" during the day. Which is how some psychiatrist's explain the obsessions with death and violence when a child has never been exposed before...

difficult child 1 didn't start gatting really bad until around 4, she awlays tied things up but she didn't tell the scary stories till later...
Just wondering.
We are talking to out psychiatrist at the end od March about difficult child 2... :hammer:

 

[tiredmommy]

It could be a problem, but maybe not. Ask yourself this: would you be concerned about this if you hadn't already had another difficult child? She could be picking up on something or trying to laugh away some fears (strangers). Or it could be sign that more issues may be emerging. I'd be watchful, but don't make a fuss or you'll add more life to it. Maybe journal what you are hearing & the frequency of occurrences.

 

[totoro]

Yeah TM I don't know, If I didn't have difficult child 1 I would probably do the same thing I did with difficult child 1, listen to all the people who told me, not to worry etc. until it got so bad we couldn't function!!!
I guess because this is one more thing on top of the others, I just keep adding to the list for her. And she is manifesting so differently than difficult child 1...
I need to keep up on her journal- I have been so focused on keeping up on difficult child 1's that I slacked a little lately.
She does have stranger anxiety... she is much more needy than difficult child 1. But she gets plenty of "me" time from husband and me.
These things are just so hard to decipher... I guess that is why I am not the psychiatrist!!!
Thanks

 

[tiredmommy]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: totoro</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah TM I don't know, If I didn't have difficult child 1 I would probably do the same thing I did with difficult child 1, listen to all the people who told me, not to worry etc. until it got so bad we couldn't function!!!</div></div>

Well, I guess you have your answer then. :warrior:

 

[DammitJanet]

Do you have any idea where she is getting this bad man idea? Would something as simple as monster spray or even a really big stuffed dog...or do you have a real dog? Something to be her protector? I was thinking maybe get a stuffed animal dog that looked real...like a big collie looking thing...that you could tell her watched over her and kept her safe. That is if you dont have a real dog that would sleep with her. My kids always had real dogs...lol.

They also say you can use scented water as monster spray if that is the problem.

I dont know...just throwing out ideas.

 

[totoro]

Thanks Janet-
She woke up sobbing this morning- she perseverates about the cats and it has grown into dreams as well and nightmares... that they are gone!!! So we have to get up and check on the cats as well as the closets.
We have tried the checking the closets and she has animals in her bed, but she is so matter of fact about it... it is freaky... she says well the little boy is in the closet, and the bad man is in the other closet. Like it is just fact, no emotion...
At other times she will be scared about it.
Maybe we will try the spray... but I don't want her to get the idea that I think there really is a bad man in there... you know??? She is so smart and weird.
I just don't know what or how these kids minds work at times...

The scary thing is, is that she seems like she is cycling already... so up and down. So angry- giddy- violent - down on floor.... ugh.

 

[DammitJanet]

Maybe you could try doing something that would ward off the "bad" people. Such as a special alarm box. I dont mean actually getting an alarm system unless you already have one but maybe get some sort of small digital alarm clock that you could stick up and tell her that it is "armed" to keep any intruders out. Even a small timer could work.

Or you could string up an electric fence around the house and tell her no one could get thru it.

 

[tiredmommy]

I told Duckie once that if I catch any monsters in the house I would chop them up and make them into a special treat for her. It's part of our routine for me to say that every night now.