Parenting the OCD Child

Posted by AngelaP | 0 comments

Have you ever had a concern that you seemed to worry about? Something that plagued you mind? Had anything that you could not seem to get out of your head for a time? This is how the OCD child functions all the time.

Holiday’s or special events are especially difficult with the OCD child. I have a child with this condition and I try for both our sakes to not inform her about an upcoming event until it is absolutely necessary. Once she knows it is coming the obsession starts. Daily over and over we discuss it because she cannot help but to bring it up. It is agonizing for her to wait until that date.

Children with OCD cannot help this. Their minds are on a path that is like a record player playing a record that has a skip mark on it (remember records and record players?). Children with this issue will keep going around and around to that obsessive thought over and over again. It is something that cannot be stopped.

One thing that helps some is redirecting the thoughts of the child. When she agonizes over not being able to wait any longer for a certain obsession to happen we empathize about waiting and redirect her thoughts to something else. This process is not easy but it helps some.

Also, a calendar or a check off chart helps her to see how far it is until the date comes to pass. This will help some too. I love the advent calendars that come out for Christmas time because we have already started to see evidence that Christmas is coming because merchandise is in the stores already.

When you have an OCD child you just have to be understanding and patient. You have to learn that they do not want to obsess about something. They are just stuck in the thought of the obsession. Just love them and help them get past it until it happens.

When it comes to schooling it can be tricky as well. Depending on the obsessive thought you have to help them get past it to refocus on what is needed at the moment. This can be a process but it is necessary to stay on task.

Are you dealing with OCD? What suggestions do you have that are helpful?

Angela Parsley, of the international ministry Refresh My Soul Ministries, is a wife and homeschooling mother to her 2 young daughters. Angela is also a contributing author to a devotional book entitled, “Standing on the Promises of God” and Radical Revolution, a devotional site for teen girls through Proverbs 31 Ministries.