12 year old boy smearing poop

[christianw]

My 12 year old son, has been (not very well) trying to hide smeared poop on our furniture...I guess wherever he is sitting at the time he is touching it.  I can 't get an answer from him, of whether it is just from not wiping well or not.  It seems to be more than just a bad wiping job.  My son definitely has some defiant issues with authority.  He tests every boundary that there is.  We had to throw away an entire set of furniture because of this.  HE said he would stop and after he was apologetic, I let it go.  Guess what my other children found on the new couch??  He is a social and functioning in every other realm, completely, "normal" ---I don't like using that phrase.  He does however feel self conscious right now about some tummy weight he has gained lately....He is definitely going through puberty.  I asked him some questions to understand if it was an arousal issue with the touching or not?  In my heart I feel like it may be a curiousness about his body changing.  We talk about it in our family though, so it isn't like he is figuring everything out for himself by any means.  He also has an older brother to talk to.  I don't want to make a bigger deal of it than it is, but I don't want to stick my head in the sand either....  Please guide me  in a direction?


This discussion is related to 13 year old's abnormal behavior.

[Anne101]

Hi,
Did you ever get an answer to this?  I just got on this site tonight after finding smeared feces again.  My son just turned 13.  He is also defiant about authority. He was bullied last year and has some self esteem issues too.  We are a close and loving family and he has so much support.  We have been finding evidence of the smearing for a few weeks now.  After finding it on our basement couch this evening, my husband was ready to check him in somewhere.  I don't know what to make of it, but I feel like you...don't want to make a bigger deal of it than it is, but I don't want to put my head in the sand.

Has this phase with your son ended?  Did you ever get an idea of whether this is a huge mental illness issue or not?  I'll appreciate any thoughts.

Thank you,
Anne

[grapevine_on_the_river]

I can highly relate.  I am not sure of where to go with why it isn't bothersome to the child.  Mine has done it out of vengence.  It bothers me a lot.  I try to documant everything with photos when she is not looking and not make a big deal about it.  I also make her clean it up.  It can be done for a reaction.  Many of they counselors I have been to downplay it.  So I am trying to take it as either  a medical problem or a manipulation tool.
She also gets very constipated on a regular basis(refusing to drink).  When a child gets constipated, their stomach can protrude.  They can pass watery stools(thus the accidents on furniture and in clothes), but not pass the large compacted stool.  You might want to look into a pediatric GI spcialist.  

I hope this helps.