Imaginary delusions?

10.19.06

So my kid makes it through 2 and a half minutes of Story Time at the library before she starts jumping off furniture trying to catch the Halloween decorations hanging from the ceiling.  The other little kids her age are sitting quietly and paying attention to the librarian.  Mine is distracting everyone by literally climbing the walls.  So I pull her out.

 

It occurs to me that I have the “disruptive” kid.  The one that doesn’t sit still, that flits from one activity to another, has lots of energy and very little ability to focus.  Oh dear.  I’d like to get her into preschool pretty soon, but I have to wonder if they’ll even take her.

 

While I look picture books I can read to her without being bored to death, she climbs on top of the wooden book bins and walks from one to another.  I tell her to get down, but her channel is set to “Mommy Ignore.”  When I physically pull her down she climbs back up the moment I’m not looking.  I wonder how much of this behavior is acceptable and how long it will be before we’re asked to leave?

 

When I look for books for myself she literally scales the shelves.  I am mortified.  I end up grabbing a handful of books fromthe paperback racks and head for the checkout.

 

“We are leaving now because you are being naughty.  And we’re not coming next week.”

 

“No!” she shrieks, “I’ll be good!  I promise!”

 

“Too late.  You’ve already been rotten.  You don’t listen to me and you are climbing everything like a monkey.”

 

She cries and carries on until we get to the car.  And then another shriek, “My Panda!  I left Panda in the library!” She’s on her way to total meltdown.  But here’s what I know about Panda.  Panda is a girl.  Her name is Matilda.  She is big enough to dress herself and use the potty by herself.  And last, but certainly most important… Panda is invisible.  So it seems both ludicrous and fruitless to attempt to find Panda in the library.  Besides, if you have an imaginary friend, then can’t it imaginarily appear right beside you?  So this is what I say, “Oh, look!  Here’s Panda!  She followed us outside, and now she needs a hug from you because she thinks we forgot her.”  Whew, meltdown averted.

 

As I drive home I work myself damn near into a panic attack thinking, “Oh my god, I have the disruptive kid.”  I have the kid that’s so wound up she ruins everything for all the other kids.  She climbs the walls, destroys the room, standing, running, yelling, singing.  Egads.

 

At home I do a web search on 3 year olds whose behavior is disruptive.  Now anyone who’s ever done this sort of research knows it’s not very reassuring.  I find all kinds of freaky stories about hyperactivity, ADD, ADHD… the whole gamut.  I read the blog of a woman who’s 3 year old is on an unbelievable regimen of anti-psychotic drugs.  Are you kidding me?  These are major drugs we’re talking here, not baby aspirin. 

 

So I wonder what behavior is being medicated?  Is having an active imagination considered the same as being delusional?  Are imaginary friends now equal to visual and auditory hallucinations?

 

Maybe we’re in for trouble.  After all, there is a new imaginary friend around here every day.  It turns out we were only babysitting Panda, and now she’s gone home to her mommy.  Kitten takes her place.  Kitten is a special cat, one that doesn’t make Mommy sneeze (invisible cats are hypoallergenic, you know).  In a few days Kitten will move on and a new friend will take her place.

 

But maybe all will be well.  I found plenty of child development resources that claim a lot of 3 year olds are not ready to sit quietly in circle time, and that it certainly isn’t a sign of anything except being a normal, high-energy, inquisitive little kid.  I choose to believe the same about the presence of Panda and Kitten.  Besides, I’m not about to complain about new pets that require absolutely no maintenance.  Maybe we can practice sitting still and listening….?