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Okay — I know we shouldn’t compare children. Each one is a unique creation; there is no “normal”; yada, yada…
But seriously — I could use a “yard stick” here.
Not that I am going to rush him off to therapy – but it is interesting to hear if other children have such quirky habits. And besides – what good is a blog if we don’t laugh a bit!
So the latest tid bits from Jackson’s list of quirky habits:
(I think that sounds nicer than OCD tendencies.)
- Terrified that the shrinking soap bar will go down the drain. Once the bar of soap reaches a certain size, Jackson panics and insists that the soap remains safely outside of the shower.
- Refuses to have windows rolled down in the car. Apparently he is terrified items in the car will blow out. I think I remember a piece of paper flying around before. I don’t think it ever went out the window or anything. But for the last year, Jackson has absolutely insisted that the windows are rolled up. Thank goodness for air conditioning. If we do open them, he screams, (and my son has the highest pitched, most ridiculous, ear piercing scream you have ever heard!) “Something is going to fly away!” and panics until we close them.
Now when I say panic — I don’t mean I had to get a paper bag or a bottle of Ativan. But there is shrieking, crying or terror involved. It can get quite inconvenient! (He is nearing five and these little inconveniences do not seem to be fading too quickly!)
So what unusual thing is your child afraid of?
Lesa says
My son will be four in June. He is also scared of loud noises. If we are going down the road and he hears a train whistle he will cover up his ears. He used to be scared of the wind and didn’t like to be outside if it was really windy. Lately he doesn’t seem to like being in a room with a bunch of people. Today we were at a restaurant and there were three college age kids in there laughing quite loudly and that scared him so we had to leave. This evening we went to a church dinner and had to leave because he said it was too loud and seemed scared and put his hands over his ears. When I got him outside, he was just fine. I’m debating about taking him to the doctor or not. Part of me thinks this is just something he will outgrow, but another part isn’t so sure. Any advice?
Beth says
My son will be four in 2 months. He is scared of loud noises. I can’t take him to a restaurant or a basketball game (pretty much in public) he freaks out and throws up. Once he has thrown up he is usually okay. We have been to many doctors and the most recent thing I have heard is CVS which makes since but we have not been able to control it. So we just don’t go out! He also throws up at night sometimes and when we are just sitting at home. I wish there was a cure becuase I hate to see him like this!
Debbie says
I have twin 5 year old girls and one has been diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. She doesn’t mind loud noises much, but if you get her in a room full of people just talking, she puts her hands over her ears and starts yelling, “It’s too loud!” And she is hard of hearing in one ear. Most of the time I can’t put her hearing aid in because she complains of the “noise.” It’s not so much how loud, but how much is coming at her. My other twin also hates the toilets, even to the point of “holding it” in an unhealthy way. She also has other “quirks” so I’m having her evaluated too. Most of the time, through occupational therapy, kids with this can be de-sensitized.
mcewen says
There’s a fine line between OCD and rational/logical thinking. I don’t think you need to be overly concerned though, I think he’s just exploring, experimenting and learning. [but what would I know?]
Very best wishes in any event
Paula says
My kids have always been afraid of toilets in public places. It’s the sound of the toilet flushing. They are so loud. Even worse are the automatic flushing toilets. They just don’t seem to be set right for kids. My daughter who is 10 now, will still open the door and then reach back in to flush the toilet before making a mad dash out of the stall. She’s better now, at least she doesn’t cover her ears up anymore and not all toilets bother her.
My son didn’t like having the car windows rolled down either. He didn’t like the wind in his hair. Now, it doesn’t bother him, but when he was little. Oh My! He didn’t like the vacuum either. He was completely afraid of it. I couldn’t vacuum if he was around. I had to wait till he was either asleep upstairs or gone somewhere else. I think these are pretty normal fears. They do tend to out grow most of them.
Christina says
I think this is just a phase. My son goes through different fears at different times. He just has this personality type. I can see that it serves him well at 8. There are things he won’t do, like going into peoples houses he doesn’t really know, riding his bike in the street, etc. It seems his fears have made him more cautious. I think in this world this may be a good thing.
Jenny says
You know those toilets that “sense” when they are being used…and then not used??? Well, in case you didn’t know…these toilets don’t “sense” little 5yo girls! lol!! Belle is terrified that she is going to get sucked down the toilet because the toilet just flushes on it’s own while she is on it! I think I would be freaked out too!! I have to hold her hand and promise her that if she starts to go down I’ll pull her back out. She is just not ready to believe that I won’t have to do that!! I just thought about a little 5yo boy at our homeschool co-op…he has to sit in one of those round toy buckets suring storytime…he just can’t concentrate unless he does!! People are so funny and unique!! lol!! I won’t even begin to tell you what my “quirks” are! lol!!
Karen says
HA HA HA! LOL! I so found that post amusing. I have said since Boo was about a year old that he has OCD. As a joke of course, because honestly, that’s not really all that funny…amusing, roll my eyes and smile, and even sigh, but not funny. The thing that gets Boo the most is dirty hands. Oh. My. Heavens. His hands will never be filled with bunches of dirt and he can barely get through finger painting at school. He freaks out the moment ketchup touches it, oh, but even worse…ketchup touching food. The ketchup cannot touch the food. At. All. It’s okay to dip the food, but no way should it touch it, and don’t even think about pouring it in the food. no way.
He is quite particular who does what (mommy get me out this time, not daddy) type of thing, and very particular about how things should be arranged.
OH. NO! This is OCD!
🙂
Karen
Kristen says
Well, my littlest doesn’t like the windows open because it blows HER away in the back seat. Not fun in the summer. She also insists that Swiper The Fox (from Dora) is always lurking around a corner outside after dark.
Erna says
Rachel had a period of time where she would cry if we approached the check-out at the local grocery store. She now just insists she won’t talk to anyone. Rachel would cry as soon as we entered an exam room and almost until we made it home when she was younger. Three years later and MANY appointments later she is getting better but still gets anxious. Emily seems to be following in her sister’s footsteps in some respects.
Jenn says
I have to say I agree Zachary at almost 3 has some funky fears too
1) Strangers – any stranger – even people he sorta knows if he does not see them every day they are a stranger and he’s afraid of them.
2) Any loud noise – he FREAKS when you run the vaccuum cleaner and I HAVE to hold him AND vaccuum in order to even DO it!
3) Having the windows down, not sure what’s the deal as he does not talk enough to explain but it seems to have something to do with his hair moving.
4) The TV NOT being on, OK this kid will NOT watch TV, EVER – but if it’s not on, he hates it and has to seek out the remote to turn it on! I think it has something to do with the noises in the house – the TV drounds them out!
I could keep going on, but I think he’s normal – but then again what *IS* normal?
Faerylandmom says
I wouldn’t worry. I think the idea of talking to him is a good one. I would also (since he’s old enough) try to find some verses related to fear that you can paraphrase to teach him that God is there to help him when he’s afraid. Hope that helps. :o)
Lisa B says
You’ve got a Jackson! My son’s imaginary friend was named Jackson. So I have a soft spot for little boys named Jackson.
He sounds so adoreable.
My son is afraid of loud noises. He LOVES motorcycles but won’t go near them if someone starts one up. He also was terrified of a toddler water slide at the local pool this summer.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Great to meet you too!
hlh says
My 4 1/2 yo son isn’t exactly afraid of things (well car alarms and fire alarms). But for whatever reason every season we have a huge issue when its time to switch from shorts to pants or pants to shorts. Good word! And shirts with collars- or-(gasp)-buttons. Sheesh the fits he throws over these things you’d think we had cut off his fingers.
jen says
I have a bacvhelor in early childhood education and i know its normal for children to be afraid of things going the down the drain
they think they might be next
i can see how the car windows could have the same sort of fear assosiated to them.
Have u tried talking to him about it before the bath/shower or a trip in the car. Maybe u could ask why he finds it scary and then talk about those fears.
Daniel my nearly 1 year old is terrified of cats. A while ago the kitten from next door was on our deck and even though the french doors were locked Daniel was upset and scared.
My daughter has always been terrified of balloons popping. When she lived with us we couldnt have balloons in the same room as her. She was 13 when she went to live with her father.
aka-mom says
Wow who knew the window thing was something other moms knew about. Just yesterday my 5 yr old (as of Sept 25th) was freaking out because her 9yr old brother would not roll up his window and she just knew her pen was going to blow out the windowless opening. Keep in mind we were driving down a one lane, private, gravel road and were going that dangerous speed of 10mph where, as you know, the wind is tretcherous (sp?). I could not believe how upset she was getting. And since when do pens get picked up by the wind like that? Must be the age????
Kathleen Marie says
When my daughter Tara was little she got chased by a goose who kept plucking at her sagging diaper. It was summer on the farm. To this day geese, chickens, etc… scare her. Birds don’t seem to bother her but chickens and geese freak her out.
I wish my boys would have had a bit more fear in them when it came to climbing trees. They use to scare me to pieces.
That’s about it I guess 🙂 Glad I stopped by!
Darla says
Those sound like normal fears to me. My daughter was terrified of balloons and clowns, though that was understandable, since she’d been scared by a clown popping a balloon. Less easy to understand was my son, who was scared of Halloween. Not just the spooky stuff, either–cutesy pumpkins and cheerful cartoon figures, too. For a couple of years, he’d refuse to eat if he could see anything remotely Halloween-themed.
They’re both fine now, at 16 & 21. One thing I did learn (the hard way!) is that logic does not help. At least it didn’t with my kids. What worked best was a matter-of-fact attitude and time.
lrlwreath says
chuckle chuckle. No but my oldest son when he was younger did not like to be lifted up. Did not mind picked up, but if you lift him up to play or something, he would freak out.
I promise when he goes to college he wont be worried about the soap, you will just be thankful that he USES soap.
I guess I would just “talk” things out, ask a lot of questions. Sometimes them learning to verbalize what they are feeling helps them overcome it. But do the talking (not in the car or in the bathroom), in a neutral place. Just see what he says. It may take awhile “talking about it”.
Sorry I could not be more help.
Mom Nancy says
My four year old:
1. Talks to anything that has a face (a portrait of his sister, a chair with a zoo animal print, a picture of the Virgin Mary) or that he thinks has a face (our smoke detector in the kitchen)! He looks at these things when I say something to him as though getting their reaction or if he’s playing, he’ll look at them and laugh hysterically. Sometimes he accuses them of touching him (this is mostly the stickers of Larry the Cucumber on the window of the car).
2. He thinks the dark (in our rec room) looks at him.
3. He worries about sharks in a swimming pool.
I think you’re son is completely normal. Or maybe mine is the weird one!
Mom2fur says
I honestly don’t remember if my kids were afraid of anything. Mostly, my daughter would freak out if I had to go anywhere without her. Now, I’m wondering if your little guy might really be afraid that he’ll go down the drain or blow out the window himself? Not that you could ever get into a kid’s mind! What would happen if you made a story out of it? For instance, you could say the soap wants to go on an adventure, or the piece of paper wanted to fly off and find the tree where he was born? I can tell you one thing…it’s a pretty safe bet Jackson will be driving with the windows open and the top down when he’s 25! Hey, here’s another idea I just thought of…forget bar soap and use the pump kind, LOL!
Janet a.k.a Wonder Mom says
My almost 3 year old daughter is deathly afraid of a lot of things: the vacuum cleaner/blow dryer, strangers (a good thing), our electric garage door opener, any loud noises for that matter.
It used to be really bad where we couldn’t take her to parties or large crowds because of all the chaos and loud music…but she’s getting better.
You would think the excuse that I can’t vacuum because she gets scared would be great…but my rugs are dir-ty.