He has always been a fidget. Even as a toddler, he was never the sit down and play sort of child. This was a positive thing on the whole and I always tried to embrace it. He was always on the go, loved being outdoors, enjoyed playing games and was never really that bothered about anything that involved sitting down for long periods of time.
Now don't get me wrong, I love that he is an active child. It is amazing that he loves sports and is at his happiest playing football or any other sport. I love the fact that he enjoys running around the house with Nerf guns and playing chase or hide and seek. But as he has got older, this need to move has developed some rather annoying habits.
Firstly, there is the tapping. He is a tapper. Now if you live with a tapper, you will know exactly what I mean. Wherever he is and whatever he is doing, he likes to tap. It is almost as if the motion of tapping or the rhythmic noise is therapeutic to him. Sadly, it is not to me.
The tapping was bad enough on it's own, but recently it has developed into something even more irritating.
He and his friend at school developed this thing. I call it a thing, as I'm not really sure how to describe it. They have combined tapping, clapping and clicking their fingers into a sort of dance. I have now been living with this 'thing' for about two months and I am not happy. He does it all the time. And I mean ALL THE TIME!! At the dinner table, in bed, whilst watching television, when he is reading. I genuinely think that he has done it so much that it has become a habit that he can't stop.
In the early days of the 'thing' when I was getting quite agitated about it, everyone else looked at me like I was exaggerating but now it is a different story. All around the house you can hear a chorus of 'can you stop that' or 'for God's sake stop doing that'. But he doesn't stop.
I have tried everything. I have spoken to him rationally and tried to explain that it is annoying. I have shouted. A lot. I have tried doing it back at him to show him how it feels. I have even tried bribing him; I offered him money if he could stop for 48 hours, which he managed to do and we had about four days of calm and then it was back.
So now I am back to shouting.
Along with the tappy, clappy, clicky thing we have the sit ups. R has become very self conscious of late and I suspect it is to do with the rapidly approaching change of schools in the summer. So, he constantly wants to do sit ups, press ups and jumping around doing windmills with his arms. I don't overly object to this except when we are all sat watching something on television and he will suddenly leap up and start exercising.
I guess it is all part and parcel of his personality and that he is naturally very active (genes he does not inherit from me, I can assure you) and when the weather improves, it will be easier to manage as I can throw him out into the garden with a variety of balls and the trampoline and he can fidget, tap and exercise to his heart's content.
However, the tappy, clicky, clappy thing is going to have to go, so if you have any good ideas to help stop that, I will be eternally grateful.
The loveable fidgets! I have known so many in my time. If the clicky thing is too much then try and distract him with other fidgety things but you won't ever get him to be still - it is probably physically impossible for him. They even sell 'fidget packs' for teachers to give to their fidgets http://www.sensetoys.com/PLRN9M342511
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, I don't have any advice I'm afraid but you have my sympathy. That would drive me absolutely bonkers!
ReplyDeleteI have an "almost" nine year old who has selective hearing. I think their age means they are testing us ...... my only advice is to take a deep breath :-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck!! xx
I will await the comments eagerly as Kitty is the same - she fidgets in her sleep too, constantly moving!
ReplyDeleteOh my this sounds like an older version of my little one. He's a fidget now and he's only four so if this is a glimpse of what's to come I think I may be insane by the time it arrives.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe it's a 9 yr old thing? My nine year old has habits, very annoying ones. He's recently started slurping when he's not drinking. I mean he'll just sit there and slurp! It's so annoying. We've asked him why and he says he doesn't know. What do you do with that?
I too can't wait for the better weather. I'm sorry I don't have any advice - I'm hoping by the time I need advice you'll know what you're doing and I can ask your advice. ;)
Morgan x
Oh my I hear you!!!!! I so hope our fidgeting doesn't get worse.. but bad enough as it. Good luck with stoppin it SOMEHOW!!
ReplyDeleteoh no. my eldest is only 4 and the youngest 1 and yesterday and today they've been so clingy and argh...i shouted too! and i really don't like it when i do it!
ReplyDeleteMy teen had a spell of doing a weird rhythmical thing with beakers- so annoying! Have you tried getting him a tangle toy? They are little bits of twisted plastic that you fiddle with- sounds odd, but it would give him something else to do with his hands- they give them to fidgety kids at school to help them focus!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! That really does sound annoying. No advice I'm afraid. Roll on spring when you can send him outside to to do it! My eldest went through a couple of years where he just had one annoying habit after another - hair flicking, willy fiddling… He would do something for a couple of months, drive us mad, then stop it and start something else.
ReplyDeleteThat would annoy the hell out of me!
ReplyDeleteEthan is such a fidget too, never sits still, taps, clicks fingers, stomps feet, makes odd noises with his mouth - i'm forever yelling shut up even though I completely disapprove of myself doing so! x
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