What is happening to my son?

[doingthebestican]

I am the mother of a 7 year old boy who has always been a handful but not in a terrible way. He has been tested for the gifted program, is very sweet, sensitive, and generally mild mannered. On occasion, he gets frustrated when he is not able to do something. A few months ago he got into trouble at school for hitting girls on the bottom. I explained it was wrong and not to do it. This seemed to work until last week when he did it again. This time he lost privileges as a punishment because he was already warned not to do it. Two days later he hit a girl in her private area and told the teachers that "voices in his head" told him to do it. Every since he was about 3 he claims to “see things” but only when told to do something he doesn’t want to do- i.e. going to bed, told to play in his room… the “hearing voices” bit is new. I think it’s made up- I’m not sure if he genuinely has problems communicating the difference between what he imagines vs. actual- the voices and hallucinations only come about if he is bored or doing something he doesn’t want to do (his own admission). Or, he may be duplicating something he saw on television (he loves Avatar, Power Rangers, and other super power shows)… I asked him why he does things ho knows he will get in trouble for. His first answer was because he really wants to do something even though he knows he shouldn’t. In regards to touching the little girl, he says he tried not to but the voices made him.  

[Sandman2]

   Yes, I agree with Life360.  He is intelligent and he is using it to make excuses.  This really is something that the school needs to deal with.  Punishment at home at this age is not real effective for something that has been done hours earlier.
   I would let him know or his teachers should let him know - that we all have voices that tell us things.  We have to decide to listen to them or not.  If you decide to listen to them, then there will be consequences.  But the consequences need to be immediate!  Which is why the school needs to be involved.

[Life360_Dave]

Hi and welcome. If you truly feel this is getting worse you might consider taking him for private counseling with a child doctor. But people of all ages will use things that either excuse them for their actions or justify their actions. At young ages where there is little control over what one is inquisitive to do, they use words that give them the power. When he gets reactions from you, then it worked and he will use that again for other things. These are tools that allows them to get what they want.