American Psychological Association Magination Children’s Books
Kids hear a lot and understand a lot more than we sometimes like to give them credit for. Unfortunately, I’ve been having a lot of those not-so-great memories of conversations and circumstances surrounding what I now know were early signs of something called OCD in my childhood. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It comes in different ways; wanting to be clean, wanting to have things in a very particular order, lots of control issues and, for me, some very distinct things I did at even age 3 and 4.
My mom didn’t know I was dealing with OCD. I sure as heck didn’t know. She would sometimes not know what to do with me. I don’t remember my dad ever being there except when they were yelling. About me.
I remember that. I remember the conversations, the frustration, the anger….the sadness. The loneliness. The wanting to just be alone. Always. To escape everyone. I didn’t feel normal and no one told me that I was. I didn’t have a terrible childhood. I had a lonely one. And, I did not care. I did not want to ‘need’ people.
Fast Forward: Many sessions and conversations in my life combined with many years, I understand things so much better.
I also need to remember ALL THOSE THINGS because, without going into detail, sometimes OCD can be genetic. Connections I see are what I remember from my childhood and things are starting to come together for me. I do not look at my children as anything odd, just children. And my oldest, in particular, takes some special patience and understanding on her parents (Bob and I) to help her when she feels overwhelmed. I’m learning. We are all learning. Together. OCD affects the entire household whether we like it or not and my job, as a parent, is to try and eliminate those stressors in myself first in order to help my child. It is not easy but I muster up all the patience I have every day to get through it.
So far, so good.
I’m learning all sorts of ways we can help her -together – and ways she is learning how to cope on her own. It seems each person has their own ways of dealing with OCD and it’s figuring out how to communicate feelings in the moment together has been key. I like to read up as much as I can on OCD not on for myself but also as a parent as the Magination books through the APA are great. I had to check out this guide for kid’s on what to do when your brain gets stuck. For those who have or deal with those with OCD, you know how those OCD meltdowns can turn into a disaster real quick if you don’t get them settled down in a way that works. As always, communication is the key and guidance and books and therapy are all great recommendations on dealing with childhood OCD. We will keep going and see where we go, but books like What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck are great resources for parents who just want to know how to be a better parent for a child who needs some special attention.
Mantra: Nothing bad will happen. Nothing bad will happen. It won’t. It really will not.
NOTE: In the Intro, the book gives the great advice of making sure us parents read this entire book before presenting to our child. I quote, “OCD is as bewildering to parents as it is to kids.”
List Price: $ 15.95
Momma's Bacon 