Chomping pens

[Anonymous]

Poll question : Do any of your teenage kids chew their pens. I don't mean light teethmarks on pens that even some adults do but seriously chomped till flat and out of shape pen caps. Or sometimes even till half the plastic is chewed up and gone! Nor does she care if the pens belong to her or not!

If its 5 or 6 year olds, that might be quite common but a teenager? My daughter says its common and many others do this in school nowadays. Really?

[Anonymous]

Yes mine did this as young teens. They were also nail biters and had a lot of school related anxiety, to which I attributed it. I did not make a big deal about it, and they have outgrown it.

[Anonymous]

Hana, my father did this! Couldn't use pencils because he'd get splinters. A couple times he'd come home with ink stains everywhere. But, it's a bad habit like anything else.

[Anonymous]

My kids do not but my neighbours 14 year old does. When we go over, we do see all these pens with backs that are chewed flat. The transparents ones are especially disgusting as they crack and you can see her spit in it. She has pens in her mouth and walks around the house at times too! We make sure we do not touch her pens!

[Anonymous]

This is nothing new - I did this as a teen. I quit when I read how filthy pens are. I worked in a hospital and was scared of getting MRSA or worse!

[Anonymous]

I did this as a teen too. Chomped all my pen cps flat and pretty much chewed the end of the pen off. Did this while studying and writing papers.

[Anonymous]

I still do it. Have since at least high school. Is it that big a deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still do it. Have since at least high school. Is it that big a deal?

When you chew your pens, do you realize it and not care or is it a subconscious thing?

I too have a teenage girl that chews her pens and I absolutely loathe it too! She claims she doesn't realize it and does it automatically. But how come it be? I think its so unsanitary so thats the big deal for me. Like 0912, I find pens on the table with her glistening saliva inside! Yuck! She has no problem putting that thing in her mouth the next day and the day after. Imagine that build up of stale spit!

[Anonymous]

If my kid did this, I'd get a pencil topper (it looks like an eraser anyway):
http://www.amazon.com/CHEWY-STIXX-PENCIL-TOPPER-TUBES/dp/B0030ISSXU/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3

I think most kids do it to burn off nervous energy--like toe tapping, hair twisting, nail biting. They're probably unaware while they're doing it for the most part.

[Anonymous]

I hate to admit it but I started only when i was in university. I often studied with my boyfriend (now hubby) He often forgot his pens and had to borrow mine. He was a big big big pen chewer and soon all my pens, rulers in my pen case were chewed. Even his electronic pda stylus had to be replaced as he chewed on it so much! At first I didn't like it because all my pens looked deformed but one day I tried chewing on them more to see what the kick was and got hooked! I know it sounds silly but it was actually quite therapeutic when you are trying to read a hard chapter or think of an answer. It is also quite gross that we both chew each other pens and probably ingested each other's spit. not much different then kissing though!

So these days, all our pens in the house have both our teethmarks! (We can recognize who's teethmarks it is too!) It is also ironic that my 9 year old is the one nagging us to stop the pen chewing!

[Anonymous]

Sadly, it is common. My two teenage girls do it too and chew their pens until they are flat and also leave them glistening with their spit in it.

DD1 could be chewing on it till she finishes her homework and DD2 has no problem coming along and then take over chewing on the same pen. DD1 could come back thereafter and continue chewing it again! Just plain disgusting. And the poor pen has no chance of surviving with these two taking turns at it! All pens end up
mangled, chewed and with hardly any tops!

Oh yes, and they chew their DS stylus and even the console itself too!

I just can't understand why and what the joy is. Maybe someone can explain it how it helps in doing your homework!

[Anonymous]

My dd x2 chew their pens too! Pencils, markers, highlighters anything. Either until their tops are missing or chewed flat and out of shape. I have to keep mine in my own pen case in my own drawer to escape being in someone's mouth. Their friends come by too and I have seen them chewing their pens too. So I think its a common thing in school these days. (I was never a chewer though during my school days).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still do it. Have since at least high school. Is it that big a deal?

Is it a big deal to eat plastic? Hmmm...gas, chemicals, carcinogens... If you don't care about living a long, healthy life, go right ahead...

[Anonymous]

I volunteer at my kid's school. See many children mouth their pens and even some teachers too. And what's even worse is they do not even care who it belongs to. I have seen parents chew on the sign in sheet pen! Like, eeew. How many hands have touched it! And why would you put something in your mouth that someone random before you chewed it too? It is a common habit but that doesn't mean you shouldn't correct it.

Maybe paint something on your dd's pen? The stuff people use to break nail biting habits perhaps?

[Anonymous]

I still do. Not chomp until its all mangled up but sometimes it does end up between the teeth when i need free hands or when reading something. Its a bad habit i think i only started in high school.