This Doesn't Seem 'Normal,' Now What?

Written by Elaine M. Gibson

A Dozen Ideas -- from Elaine M. Gibson

1. Don't waste time worrying. Do something.

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2. Ask a mother with six or more kids what she thinks. This is important. A mother with one child is not the person to ask.
3. Ask your mother - if you have a VERY supportive mother - what she thinks.
4. Make an appointment and ask your pediatrician. Don't under emphasize or over emphasize the behavior. Describe the behavior in very objective terms.
5. Use the library. Find every reference that covers the subject. Different opinions are useful.
6. By this time, the behavior will either be gone or it will be worse. If it is still going on, document what happens in a daily journal. Indicate what the behavior is like, when, how often, for how long, under what conditions. Use a spiral notebook as a log and don't write anything down with the child watching.
7. Take this log to the best child psychiatrist you can find. Listen to his/her recommendations.
8. Don't assume that it is your fault. Don't waste time or energy on guilt. Find the answers.
9. Don't expect to find the answers easily. A child, like every person in the world, is a complex organism.
10. Be relentless.
11. Ask for help. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You are not the first - or the last - to have the same problem with a child.
12. Be your child's advocate in getting the help that he or she needs.