Does your 6 year old still blurt out nonsense?

[Anonymous]

If so, how much longer does this last. BTW, this is not a boy, but a girl.

She does it all of a sudden in public or at home, she just gets in my face and makes a dumb noise. Or inappropriately jumps up on someone when she sees them and is excited. It tends to happen when she is excited, frustrated or embarrassed. It is sooooo annoying. I see some of her age mates using language to express themselves instead of this crazy behavior. I have punished her, but in public I can not be too harsh. It seems like a sign of insecurity, and an attempt to get attention and so on.
I am afraid that if she does not break this habit, it will be trouble later. When does this stop?

Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If so, how much longer does this last. BTW, this is not a boy, but a girl.

She does it all of a sudden in public or at home, she just gets in my face and makes a dumb noise. Or inappropriately jumps up on someone when she sees them and is excited. It tends to happen when she is excited, frustrated or embarrassed. It is sooooo annoying. I see some of her age mates using language to express themselves instead of this crazy behavior. I have punished her, but in public I can not be too harsh. It seems like a sign of insecurity, and an attempt to get attention and so on.
I am afraid that if she does not break this habit, it will be trouble later. When does this stop?

Any suggestions?

She's only 6 give her a break. She's still learning to control her emotions.

[Anonymous]

OP, I wouldn't be worried at all. When my daughter was six, she would bark or pant like a dog when she got excited. She grew out of this behavior. I am concerned that you punish her for this "but not too harshly" while you are in public. I can't imagine that raising your child in that kind of environment, is going to help her moderate her emotions, if anything you are probably delaying her development by acting with such negativity towards her.

[Anonymous]

OP - my DD is the same and I agree it is annoying especially when you see similar aged kids acting in a more appropriate manner. I do think it stems from some insecurity and that is the kind of behavior that got her noticed and attention when she was younger but she doesn't seem to know what to do now that she is older. I have tried to role play with her before going somewhere but she forgets and its not always easy as you mentioned to "punish" or correct the behavior in front of someone because they start "oh, its ok" or worse something about her being cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If so, how much longer does this last. BTW, this is not a boy, but a girl.

She does it all of a sudden in public or at home, she just gets in my face and makes a dumb noise. Or inappropriately jumps up on someone when she sees them and is excited. It tends to happen when she is excited, frustrated or embarrassed. It is sooooo annoying. I see some of her age mates using language to express themselves instead of this crazy behavior. I have punished her, but in public I can not be too harsh. It seems like a sign of insecurity, and an attempt to get attention and so on.
I am afraid that if she does not break this habit, it will be trouble later. When does this stop?

Any suggestions?

Perhaps she needs more exercise and free play? One of my kids needs A LOT of outdoor/playground time. But I don't see the problem in her behavior that you described. It just sounds like she is a normal, energetic kid. I wouldn't punish her for it. She will grow out of it.

And perhaps she is like the "class clown" type? The type that wants to make people laugh and get their attention? I think there is no harm done in her behavior. I think one of the hardest parts of being a parent is just accepting their kids just as they are, with their different personalities. Believe me, I've been embarrassed by my kids' behavior, but more of the opposite of what you described for one of them. One of my kids is so shy, I just have to remind myself that is just the way she is and I can't change her.

[Anonymous]

You punish her for that? Have fun with the teenage years. Really, mine is seven and is still a goofy, silly, funny little girl. Do I find her behavior irritating or annoying? You bet! Often. But pretending she is a dog and making funny noises for the sake of making them, singing silly songs that she makes up, singing different words to existing tunes, making funny faces, climbing on me to lick me because that is how dogs give kisses is a part of being 6 and 7. She talks incessantly about stuff I could care less about for hours to the point where sometimes I want to scream, but you know what, I NEVER EVER want her to feel like she can't talk to me about ANYTHING whether or not I think it is important or stupid. And you know what, if she climbs on my lap to lick me when she is home from college because that is how dogs give kisses I will be crying tears of gratitude.

Now what to do say in public when you don't want her on all fours on the floor of (insert name of restaurant here) because after all she is a dog...tell her dogs aren't allowed in the restaurant so you will have to leave and go home for you to fix her meal and be sure to include that the meal will include some food she hates. If you object to her making funny noises in public, make a deal with her all the funny noises she wants in the car, in the bathroom, at home, but not in a public place and not in front of company. If mine wants to sing her silly songs at an Ethel Merman pitch in the library I tell her we aren't done yet and that she may sing in the car and in the parking lot on the way to the car. She knows what a library is and that it is a quiet place. If she does not comply, we leave. And when she is upset, I simply point out to her that she knows what the rules are, did not follow them, and these are the consequences. We left the library once. I also allow her to "sing in her head."

Really, enjoy this time as irritating as it is. It will be over in an instant and the way you react to her personality and quirks now informs your relationship with her as a preteen and teen.

[Anonymous]

OP, the negativity just seethes from your post. You sound very harsh. If you don't find a way to be more understanding towards her, when she is older, she will most likely find that you are the annoying one. I hope you can find a way to be more compassionate towards her. And yes, my 6 yr old also blurts out nonsense, it's normal.

[Anonymous]

"And you know what, if she climbs on my lap to lick me when she is home from college because that is how dogs give kisses I will be crying tears of gratitude."

Tommy Lee (of Motley Crue fame) licks people as a way to show he likes them...

[Anonymous]

OK, PP, and you would know that how? Hmmmm...I think some DCUMs have had some pretty wild lives.

OP, I agree that you seem harsh and angry. I can empathize but I'd worry more about your relationship with your DD than some notion of rigid control.

[Anonymous]

Give OP a break. She seems concerned. I'd discuss these behaviors with your daughter's pediatrician. She will outgrow them. I would reconsider punishing her since this sounds developmental rather than willful.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Sorry about sounding harsh, but I am the parent, and I plan to correct all of my children when they misbehave. If I do not step in, it keeps getting more and more obscene. She will eventually embarrass herself. For instance, she is going through the phase of talking about sexual anatomy. She blurted out something about her brother's penis the other day. The sad thing is that knowing how her mind works, she could have inserted ANY man's name in the sentence, embarrassing whomever was standing there. She approaches people she does not even know and says whatever. One time in the park she approached some man whom I believe is schizophrenic and started jumping up and down in front of him to get attention. She just runs up to people and screams in their faces.
This is not any syndrome, and I have no plans to pay anyone $200/hr (that I don't have) to tell me what it is. I just want to know who else has dealt with this.
To me she is very much in need of attention. Her behavior from a young age made me hesitate to have any more kids, because she takes so much of my time. She needs constant supervision. I am afraid that she does not take cues that others take in knowing when someone has had enough of her. Then they get angry, then they blow up. I have been using a code word in public to get her to take a look around and scan her environment and see what hints might be being dropped. That works half the time.
She maintains control when adults are in control. Her teachers say she is very well behaved, but in after care, where they are lax, she gets out of control. I try to avoid these scenarios, but it is not always easy.
The other day she was rough housing with one of her friend's older brothers. The other kids were sort of jumping on his back, then he fell. My daughter just jumped on his abdomen and knocked the wind out of him. I felt so bad. She realized that she went to far as he whimpered. It rarely gets this physical, but it is not cute.

[Anonymous]

BTW, I love her dearly, it is just sad to watch. I don't ever want to hear that she has no friends. My love alone might not take her all the way through life.

[Anonymous]

OP, I get it more now. It sounds like she is socially immature and has some problems with self regulation. She may be just a bit behind but I'm almost wondering if she might be showing signs of Tourette's. A child of a friend was just diagnosed and he had some similar behaviors. She had some good info, I'll see if I can find it to pass along. It sounds like when the behavior around her isn't calm and controlled that her impulsivity gets the best of her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This is not any syndrome, and I have no plans to pay anyone $200/hr (that I don't have) to tell me what it is. I just want to know who else has dealt with this.

From your original post, I would have said, "sure, my 6-year-old dd does some of this stuff." But your further explanation would suggest that you're dealing with bigger issues. Could you use the school guidance counselor as a resource if you don't have the means to pay a professional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Sorry about sounding harsh, but I am the parent, and I plan to correct all of my children when they misbehave. If I do not step in, it keeps getting more and more obscene. She will eventually embarrass herself. For instance, she is going through the phase of talking about sexual anatomy. She blurted out something about her brother's penis the other day. The sad thing is that knowing how her mind works, she could have inserted ANY man's name in the sentence, embarrassing whomever was standing there. She approaches people she does not even know and says whatever. One time in the park she approached some man whom I believe is schizophrenic and started jumping up and down in front of him to get attention. She just runs up to people and screams in their faces.
This is not any syndrome, and I have no plans to pay anyone $200/hr (that I don't have) to tell me what it is. I just want to know who else has dealt with this.
To me she is very much in need of attention. Her behavior from a young age made me hesitate to have any more kids, because she takes so much of my time. She needs constant supervision. I am afraid that she does not take cues that others take in knowing when someone has had enough of her. Then they get angry, then they blow up. I have been using a code word in public to get her to take a look around and scan her environment and see what hints might be being dropped. That works half the time.
She maintains control when adults are in control. Her teachers say she is very well behaved, but in after care, where they are lax, she gets out of control. I try to avoid these scenarios, but it is not always easy.
The other day she was rough housing with one of her friend's older brothers. The other kids were sort of jumping on his back, then he fell. My daughter just jumped on his abdomen and knocked the wind out of him. I felt so bad. She realized that she went to far as he whimpered. It rarely gets this physical, but it is not cute.

I'm not sure why you're so convinced that it isn't any "syndrome," as you put it. It could be a number of things - speech/language delays, a sensory disorder, a need for social skill help. Do you have something against therapy? Identifying the problem and getting strategies for progress would seem to be a whole lot more helpful to her than throwing her in the dungeon when she annoys you.