Parents Forum

mannym138 · 04-22-2008, 10:48 PM

My son has been getting out of bed periodically since he was 2 years old. he will get up when we are asleep and do random things around the house, for example; when he was 2 he took the rats out of our cage and waded them in his tiny pool out back, i woke to the rats IN the cage, dripping wet, and him tucked in his bed. we put an alarm on his door so we knew when he was coming out, it worked pretty well, we explained about the rules of the house and it being unsafe for him to get up when we were not with him, and he does seem to understand.
As the years have gone by, we have gained and lost trust. He seems to get it for awhile and then , we will wake up to either, movies spread around the living room, pictures taken from photobooks and neatly placed on the table, or almost all the items in the fridge in a strainer on the kitchen floor, any RANDOM thing.
The most recent, he is 5 now, was him taking my keys and going out to my car to listen to his tapes in the tape player, running the battery of my car dead, and trying to turn the car back on, but oops! put in in neutral and the car and my son rolled back about 6 feet. He came in and woke me and his father. he was hysterical, saying, ''I am so sorry!!! I tried to push the car!!!" WHAT?????
We now have a double sided lock on our front door and he has a lock on his door knob on the out side. I am running out of patience and feel it shouldn't come to locking my son in his room. He says the lock is okay, it will keep him in bed.
My son has recieved countless compliments from friends and family for being so respectful and polite and fun to be around, his father and I feel the same. Any advise at this point would be AMAZING!!

Father Of Three · 04-22-2008, 11:25 PM

Have you had him checked for Autism, Asperger's, or ADHD. i know these are the words that all parents hate to hear but i can see my son in the things you have explained in your post.

musicmom · 04-23-2008, 06:01 AM

Install a home alarm system for starters. Put a baby monitor next to your bed. I don't understand how you don't hear him.
Get a lock that locks from the outside and lock him in his room at night.
I've never heard of this so it's a new one on me. He doesn't sound disciplined or def has something mental going on. My opinion.

fallon · 04-23-2008, 06:05 AM

have you ever gotten a clear answer from him as to why he does these things? Does he know he's wrong?

musicmom · 04-23-2008, 08:39 AM

If my child came inside after he had started my vehicle his little butt would be tore up. Sorry but you have to think of yourself as a parent at that point. Not good parenting. It's time to take responsibility. He's five!

Claire64 · 04-23-2008, 02:36 PM

If these incidents are only happening at night, it really doesn't sound like Autism, Asperger's or ADHD. It sounds to me like he might be sleep walking or he could have some other kind of sleep disorder. I would check with your pediatrician and possibly have a sleep study done on him.

JMO

Good Wolf · 04-23-2008, 02:46 PM

I agree with checking with the ped first. I'm sure they have heard of such things where as it seems most of us haven't.

When our daugther was three there were a couple of times that she woke up early and did odd things. Once she took all the cans out of pantry and stacked them up on the table. As far as I know stuff like that only happened a couple times though.

The car incident is terrifying. I'm shocked to learn that a five year old even knows how to put the keys in the ignition and use the radio.

I like the idea of getting a monitor and an exterior lock. He if he really needs you and can let you know on the monitor. If he throws a fit in the middle of the night then I think he just wants to be up when mommy and daddy aren't around to tell him what to do. This is a battle you must fight no matter how hard it might be.

.:Kalli Rae:. · 04-24-2008, 08:16 PM

That is really scary, the car incident. I would definately check with your ped first and he/she may be able to help you figure out what is going on. I don't think it is a discipline issue, it seems more like it is a sort of disorder he may have. It seems like you have done what you can on your own and now it is time to check with the ped.

Good Luck!

Music-dad · 04-24-2008, 09:37 PM

I saw a Montel Williams show where a kid would leave the house everynight and play in the backyard for hours, that would happen one time only at my house, as would your situation.

Baby Monitor with Video!...cheap!....Motion detector, with alarm in your room. Also cheap.

Locking the room can be a fire hazard, this is where the motion detector comes into play, but you must be sound sleepers, as you didn't wake up and notice previous episodes.

When you hear the motion detector, get up and respond.

Trust me this behavior can elevate to turning on the stove, playing with the microwave, etc....I've seen it first hand.

When that child gets up in the night...you must too!

mannym138 · 04-25-2008, 05:27 PM

Well, 3 days later, lots of good advise and some web browsing, he has not had any major problems since we put the lock on the outside of his door, he also hasnt had a 'nap' in about 4 days, i think the nap was a big factor, he would take a 1-2 hour nap after lunch and he is definatley more tired at the end of the day. the first night with the lock, he woke me knocking about 3 in the morn to go to the bathroom, he went, then went right back to bed, the last 2 nights, he slept the whole time. i feel safer at this point just knowing he is not roaming around unsupervised. My son is very bright and a joy to be around everyday, he is just such a sponge and makes lots of comments about being such a big boy and what he wants to be when he grows up, where he will live, what he will drive, he is a major thinker.

if i ever 'hear' him or anything, i DO get up, everytime, but the alarm we have on his door, i have heard it so much, and my son has learned i guess to open and shut it quickly so that we dont wake up. i know kids can be sneaky sometimes, we dont let him get away without some consequence, we follow through on what we tell him, and we explain why.

any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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