Rhiannon peels her nails. She hasn't done it for a while, but earlier this year it was very bad. Putting sparkly nail varnish on to make them pretty helped sometimes, as did trying very hard not to make a big deal out of it. As a former nail-biter and thumb sucker, the foul tasting paint only works for a while; it is possible to become accustomed to it. It could work now though, before the habit becomes too ingrained.
We have only had a couple of cases of writing on walls which occurred because the conditions were right. In one case a newly glossed kitchen cabinet and a thick black marker pen; the temptation to combine the two was just too much for her. The comment we get is 'it's very hard to be 4 and a bit'.
Rhiannon had a huge obsession with death last year, after a young boy drowned in the canal that we frequently walk along. Maybe this is L's equivalent and it will pass. She still has a thing about what to do if we phoned her nana and nana was dead - I have no idea where that one came from.
Does your doctor's surgery have a counselor that you could discuss these things with? They may also be able to refer you/give you a list of suitable contacts.
I might write the Health Visitor a list of concerns and see if I can get Linnea a referral to the counsellor. It's almost impossible for me to see a doctor or similar without the children there, really; I could manage it possibly at 2 pm on a Thursday but otherwise I'd have to have at least Emer with me. Perhaps she wouldn't pick up on things. I imagine initially I'd have to list all the concerning behaviours, which I'd rather Linnea didn't hear.
The writing on walls is *not* primarily artistic passion, though some of it has been, historically; it's primarily a deliberate naughtiness that incorporates self-expression, which means merely forbidding and penalising it won't work this time. Worked beautifully for the Pure Art portraits she did on the bedroom walls though. That was sad. They were marvellous portraits.
I'll have a go with both foul and pretty nail paint and see where it gets us. She's been biting her toenails recently too. It's so ick.
We have only had a couple of cases of writing on walls which occurred because the conditions were right. In one case a newly glossed kitchen cabinet and a thick black marker pen; the temptation to combine the two was just too much for her. The comment we get is 'it's very hard to be 4 and a bit'.
Rhiannon had a huge obsession with death last year, after a young boy drowned in the canal that we frequently walk along. Maybe this is L's equivalent and it will pass. She still has a thing about what to do if we phoned her nana and nana was dead - I have no idea where that one came from.
Does your doctor's surgery have a counselor that you could discuss these things with? They may also be able to refer you/give you a list of suitable contacts.
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The writing on walls is *not* primarily artistic passion, though some of it has been, historically; it's primarily a deliberate naughtiness that incorporates self-expression, which means merely forbidding and penalising it won't work this time. Worked beautifully for the Pure Art portraits she did on the bedroom walls though. That was sad. They were marvellous portraits.
I'll have a go with both foul and pretty nail paint and see where it gets us. She's been biting her toenails recently too. It's so ick.
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