What do you tell your child?

[sahm]

How do you explain to a 5 year old WHY? Since we are not supposed to call attention to or blame the tics, how do you explain the supplements, removing video games, and especially food elimination. I can say supplements are important to make sure your body is healthy, video games are not healthy for your body/mind (though hard to change our policy all of a sudden - he was only doing ipod games 20-30 min each morning), but how do you explain the food elimination in the context of HEALTH? Do you have to mention the tics?

[abbe]

Hello,

 

I said allergies period. Some foods make some people fell "yucky" . These are yours....

 

 

abbe

[Chemar]

my son was older when we started it all so it was easier. he understood and was able to see for himself which foods etc were not good for him and he felt the positive effects of the supps so took them willingly

 

are you removing video games because you have found a trigger there? we have not ever restricted my son from his games, instead we have used daylight lamps and LCD screens to reduce the flicker effect

[sahm]

Hello,

 

I said allergies period. Some foods make some people fell "yucky" . These are yours....

 

 

abbe

 

Okay, I can see that working, but mine would invariably say "I feel totally healthy/not yucky anymore/all better" if not at first but days or weeks in. Also would nonstop complain/whine that he's jealous of whoever for getting to eat whatever. I have a whiny kid. I did dairy elimination last summer and it was Hard. I desperately want to do this but I need to have a major strategy I think.

[sahm]

Oh, and I was removing ipod games because on the way home from a trip recently we let him play 20 minutes per hour and his gasping tic was pretty bad, wondered if there was a connection and am willing to try anything "easy." I wasn't aware of the lamps but maybe I wouldn't have to be concerend about ipod touch screen time bc of the time of screen it is? And not much flickering...

[ameecram]

How do you explain to a 5 year old WHY? Since we are not supposed to call attention to or blame the tics, how do you explain the supplements, removing video games, and especially food elimination. I can say supplements are important to make sure your body is healthy, video games are not healthy for your body/mind (though hard to change our policy all of a sudden - he was only doing ipod games 20-30 min each morning), but how do you explain the food elimination in the context of HEALTH? Do you have to mention the tics?

 

My son is 5 years old. We told him about allergies, that we all have different ones in our family, not just him. It it truthful to some extent, but we have done everything as a family. We all eat the same diet, along with our 3 year old son. He has handled it exceptionally well, no complaints at all. Some kids of course will have a harder time with it, it's a lot of changes at once.

[hsingmommy]

Our son is 6yo, and we had to explain because we were going to see the ped neuro. Our DS is afraid of getting shots and "finger pricks" at the doctor, so he freaks out. We knew he'd freak out even more being as he wasn't seeing his regular pediatrician.

 

We just explained that we were going to see someone who studies the brain. We've explained his extra "movements" to him (he and I call them tics, but we do not draw attention to them...that's just the terminology we use -- DH calls them "movements").

 

We have also explained that we will be trying to include supplements and changing our diet/nutrition habits in order to help his movements. We've made it clear that they may not disappear totally, but we're praying they will lessen or become less noticeable.

 

He sat and watched "Front of the Class" with us this w-end, and it was a GREAT movie that explains it all very well. He said later..."mine aren't that bad. I don't do that." And yes...he's right. His motor/vocal tics are not like the guy in the movie; however, we explained that no two TS people are the same.

 

HTH!

[Caryn]

Our son started the diet at 4. We did it as a whole family and made all the food in the house safe for him to eat so that he didn't feel weird or that he was being denied anything. My hubby kept a wicker basket above our top cabinets for 'illegal' stuff that he wanted after the kids went to bed. We have been doing it that way for 3 years. I think when you deny the food and then he sees everyone around him eating like that it can cause a complex about food and eating and you don't want that with a 5 year old child. They just don't have the maturity to understand why they are being denied something. It feels like they are not good enough or loved even though the real reasons are quite the opposite. Each kid is different. My eldest likes structures and rules and is fine with it. He has also tested the rules and eaten things he shouldn't over the years. When he does he has a reaction and although he no longer has tics he still has reactions to corn products (last time he got a migraine headache) so the effect is enough to make him not want it. Now he is 7 1/2 and at that age he can reason why he doesn't eat certain things a lot better than when he was 4 and 5. Just make a rule that no one can feed your son but you. Everywhere he goes make sure you send him along with a snack box and plenty of yummy stuff for him. For times when you are in a pinch (late getting there to pick him up, etc...) you should have MREs (meals ready to eat) stored in a freezer that the caregiver can just heat up in the microwave. I make extra pancakes and freeze leftovers for that. I make a huge tray of Lasagna and then freeze half for babysitter night.

 

At school--

Our son's teacher is given a snack bag every couple of months full of appropriate treats for birthday celebrations and other parties. Works perfectly for him. He doesn't care that he isn't getting the same treat. Other parents sometimes want to get a treat that he can share (impossible, really) and I tell them not to worry because at this stage he really doesn't care anymore. That's what a couple migraine headaches, a puking episode, or weeks of chronic ticcing will do for a kid-- destroy the appetite for being like everyone else.

 

For your folks--

I went out and bought condiments and snack items and wrote my son's name on it and kept it at their house for when we visit. I always bring a snack bag when we come too. Now my mom knows his brands and shops for him confidently. So in time it will be like second nature for you all.

 

For your son--

Don't ever punish when he eats a forbidden thing. He needs to know it's not about control. Be frank with him and honest and let him know that it could make him sick and reactive. Teach him to eat healthy by teaching him the value of nutrients and about the chemistry of food. At 5 he will absolutely love learning about that stuff.... lycopene comes from Tomatoes, avocados are high in good healthy fats and make frosting a pretty green color......My middle child w/o a dx and with no apparent allergy issues wants to be a chef when he grows up and own a restaurant someday-- all because of our lifestyle and our kitchen. And I have my dxd son to thank for that!