Anyone Else???? | ADHD Information

We also have a problem with DS not feeling any remorse over punishment.  I don't think he forgets all the time, sometimes I think they just don't care.  We have tried everything.  From time to time he will get upset, then he'll find something interesting and forget.  It is amazing to me how my child will not remember from one day to the next why he cannot watch tv or play video games.  Somedays you wanna strangle all kids though.  I want to do it often with both of my kids and one is "normal".  HAHA

My son who is in the 2nd grade, recently started bringing things home from school that he "found".. He says he finds toys on the playground, and then puts them in his back pack and brings them home, and when I check his bag every day after school I find these things, and make him take them back(and email the teacher to let her know so I'm sure they get to the lost and found table). It's always stupid little things that he brings home, too..  The first week of school the bus driver had asked me if Tommy had a little girls "box", and he kept saying no, well after checking all the pockets in his back pack he did indeed have the top of the box, and it was a little pink mirror. Why he would want this is beyond me.. When we ask him he said he doesn't know, or he's bored...

Last night I had enough, and told him if it happens again, he will not be permitted to go trick or treating with, and his little chin started wiggling and I felt like a big meanie..  So I'm thinking, is this something he can't control?  He hasn't been on his meds that long, so maybe things will get better in a few weeks..

Any help would be greatly appreciated..

 

Michelle

My son does similar things...only the things that he takes are things that nobody wants....(including me and the washing machine) like paper label peels from a kids lunch drink, or bits of erasers, or scraps of plastic from pop tops, etc....He has done this ever since he stared school......I don't know if it is normal....his pockets are always full with this kind of thing......Have no idea why he'd want this "trash" obviously its not trash to him....

I'm interested to know as well if anyone else see this type of behavior in their children.

My2Angels---I really feel bad for you.  I think if he was finding all these things then they might feel like treasures to him.  But the lying to the bus driver?  I know that ADHD kids have NO impulse control so lying is worse, especially in this house! I don't know about threatening him with not trick or treating though.  Maybe you could do some reward system for not lying.  I know I am not very helpful but am here for you.

My eight year old Brandon does "collect" things.  He always has.  Wether it is rocks or the top of the cereal at school.  I cleaned out his backpack last year and he had a lot of cereal tops.  Why-dont know.  It is just his little mind making a collection I guess.  A little compulsive too!

My 7yo "collects" things too!  She actually calls them her collections.  She always come home with a rock, bead, bottle caps, rubber bands, even twigs. I have no clue why she does this.I get mainly Rocks and tissues and crayons... this makes a mess of the wash.  Have any of you ever washed and dried a crayon ( simple green will get this out but what a disaster)My son collects rocks and shiny things he finds at school, nothing of value, like broken pieces of stuff.  I call him my little magpie because he likes the shiny.  This worried me at first because I thought someone must be looking for their little bits, but then I saw the lost and found table at school. It's covered with lost jewelry and bits of broken costume earings (and even a pair of glasses that have been there for months!!), so obviously no one really is looking for this junk.  

My daughter is constantly "collecting" small things, most recently bottle caps.

There use to be a stone filled planter in the lobby of our building and every time she went by it she'd bring a stone upstairs. It reached the point that, after a while, I'd bring sandwich baggies full downstairs and put them back in the planter!

Im in the same boat.  My son (6) also "finds" things on the playground.  It used to be small things like erasers, beads, ect.  But here lately its been change. ... A penny here, and quarter there.  The "change finding" was concerning me b/c it was happening quite often and he has been known, and caught before,  taking someone else money.. aka stealing!  He would fight me tooth and nail that he "found it".   It was getting so bad for a while there, that I had to cut the bottom of his pockets out so he would not sneak "found items" home in his pockets.   (ok I was desperate and all the talks were doing no good).  I also had to lay down the law by telling him if he found ANYTHING,  he is to take it to a teacher.  On school grounds it was not finders keepers.  It should be put in lost and found ALWAYS!  He knows this rule now, and if he shows me a quarter he "found" (or anything else I may find in his backpack etc) I will remind him of it and if it continues he will lose a privalage.  He will also have to give the item to the principle.  That scares him a bit.  hehe  He has been doing much better.  I wish you luck.     

My son comes home with all kinds of stuff too.  A lego, eraser, piece of plastic fruit from the play corner, etc.  Don't know what the fascination is.  He actually pulled something out of his pocket the other day in front of the teacher but gave it back to her.  I don't think he realizes he's doing anything wrong.

Good Luck!

DS,collects all kinds of junk off the ground. I do think it is hard to get it through there head that some things are lost... and people are looking for them... DH and DS take treasure walks, while his brother plays soccer.. we have been able to explain to him that way what is really just laying around or lost.. try going for a walk and go treasure hunting.. it works for us.. yes, the poor washer gets lots of ick in it..

My son is always "collecting" things too.  Screws, pieces of pipe, leaves, rocks (everytime we go somewhere he has to take a rock).. I don't know if he thinks it is "stealing" by taking these things, but we tell him it is "stealing". He's even been known to take food from relatives houses, and feels like he has to hide it instead of just asking for it, it isn't like they would say no..

I think when I told him no trick or treating it was just because I am at the point that i am frustrated. We tried having talks with him, had my mother in law talk to him, because who wants to disappoint their nan? lol.. We've sent him to bed early, taking things away, etc.  Nothing seems to get through to him.  Even at home when he gets in trouble for going into his sisters room and taking things, 2 seconds later, he'll sneak right back in her room, like you didn't say anything to him at all...

Michelle