soncol
10-29-2008, 11:29 AM
I don't know what to do with this situation... (Kind of long)
My cousin has a preschooler who has done some very disturbing acts, which has most of my family up in arms. My cousin does not believe in medicating a child for psychological issues and refuses to get help with any kind of behavior therapy. In my family we have three children that are preschoolers and have not and do not exhibit the disturbing behavior this child continues to do. I will list some of these behaviors, but what concerns me most is that my cousin continues to dismiss them as acts of mischief or "being wild". She does not discipline her or has any kind of consistency with dealing with her behavior good or bad. She rewards her for no reason and does not effectively punish her wrongdoings. She often leaves family functions/social situations because she is embarrassed by her behavior, but still doesn't properly address it. For the past several years she has:
-Been expelled from a preschool
-Flooded bathroom toilets
-Emptied garbage bags all over the house
-Taken lotion and covered her younger sibling and the basement furniture, walls with it.
-Taken a magic marker and drawn all over the walls and furniture in the house.
-Cut her and her sibling's hair on several occasions
-Makes up stories that never happened, lies about doing stuff (typical among preschoolers, but she tells people that she had a sister that died - creepy stories)
-Destroys people's rooms/things in other houses
-Doesn't listen to authority and laughs when she is reprimanded
-She doesn't steal, but she hides items that she covets, so the owner can't find them
-She is insanely jealous of everything and anything she can't have.
The people closest to my cousin in our family have repeatedly pointed these issues out to her and have speculated the child not having a conscience. Is there a behavioral disorder that would constitute these issues and how can we get through to her that she needs to get the child help? Most of my family does not want to attend functions where this child will be present and feel she is kind of a threat/instigator for their children and do not want her near them. The child that really suffers here is the younger sibling, she does not display these behaviors on a regular basis and often gets the brunt of her sister's antics. Any advice is welcome.
My cousin has a preschooler who has done some very disturbing acts, which has most of my family up in arms. My cousin does not believe in medicating a child for psychological issues and refuses to get help with any kind of behavior therapy. In my family we have three children that are preschoolers and have not and do not exhibit the disturbing behavior this child continues to do. I will list some of these behaviors, but what concerns me most is that my cousin continues to dismiss them as acts of mischief or "being wild". She does not discipline her or has any kind of consistency with dealing with her behavior good or bad. She rewards her for no reason and does not effectively punish her wrongdoings. She often leaves family functions/social situations because she is embarrassed by her behavior, but still doesn't properly address it. For the past several years she has:
-Been expelled from a preschool
-Flooded bathroom toilets
-Emptied garbage bags all over the house
-Taken lotion and covered her younger sibling and the basement furniture, walls with it.
-Taken a magic marker and drawn all over the walls and furniture in the house.
-Cut her and her sibling's hair on several occasions
-Makes up stories that never happened, lies about doing stuff (typical among preschoolers, but she tells people that she had a sister that died - creepy stories)
-Destroys people's rooms/things in other houses
-Doesn't listen to authority and laughs when she is reprimanded
-She doesn't steal, but she hides items that she covets, so the owner can't find them
-She is insanely jealous of everything and anything she can't have.
The people closest to my cousin in our family have repeatedly pointed these issues out to her and have speculated the child not having a conscience. Is there a behavioral disorder that would constitute these issues and how can we get through to her that she needs to get the child help? Most of my family does not want to attend functions where this child will be present and feel she is kind of a threat/instigator for their children and do not want her near them. The child that really suffers here is the younger sibling, she does not display these behaviors on a regular basis and often gets the brunt of her sister's antics. Any advice is welcome.