9 yr old hitting himself for fun

My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?

In article .com, soonerj
says...

My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?


Unless he really persists for a time, it sounds to me like boy-stuff (kid-stuff,
actually) typical of the age.

Don't let him do that in sight of any of my Cub Scout dens, for instance!
They'd be self-punching forever.

Banty


--

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5222154.stm

"soonerj" wrote in message
oups.com...
My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?


I'd ignore it. The more attention paid to it the more likely the behavior
is to continue. Ignored, it will stop because either it becomes passe or he
manages to hit himself just right that it hurts and he decides that isn't
fun. If, however, you notice he seems to be truly harming himself, seek
professional assistance without delay.

-Aula

"soonerj" wrote in message
oups.com...
My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?

Is he watching too much TV?

Jeff wrote:
"soonerj" wrote in message
oups.com...
My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?

Is he watching too much TV?

He's only allowed 1 hour of tv per day; no cartoons. Usually Animal
Planet or Discovery.

In article et, Jeff says...


"soonerj" wrote in message
roups.com...
My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?

Is he watching too much TV?



Why -is there a TV show on cable entitled "The Fun of Hitting Yourself"?

Not that I think mega-amounts of TV watching is a good thing, but must *every*
perceived behavior problem be pinned on TV?

Banty


--

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5222154.stm

He's doing this to get your attention; possible to say he's not happy
about something. As a male, I can tell you this is not normal
behavior. Is he very intraverted?

If you ever have one of those moments where you feel you got a good
rapport going, tell him it hurts your feels to see him do that and ask
him if there's something he wants to talk about or something you can do
for him to stop. Don't bother asking him unless you got a good rapport
going at that moment.

(A different take) If it were my son and I caught him doing that, I'll
offer him a hammer. That'll pretty much stop him, cause I'm calling
his BS and letting him know it won't work with me. Then I'll talk to
him later when he's calm.

Good Luck,
Mack

soonerj wrote:
My 9 year old step-son has just started hitting/punching himself on the
face and head, complete with fighting sounds. WHen asked why he did it
he said he likes to. I've told him to stop but I'm still catching him
doing it. Any ideas?

On 24 Aug 2006 11:13:30 -0700, G.Mack wrote:
He's doing this to get your attention; possible to say he's not happy
about something. As a male, I can tell you this is not normal
behavior. Is he very intraverted?


Or, he's doing it because he's a young boy, and young boys often
do things that are patently stupid or silly.

Must *everything* that some sort of deep social or emotional
significance?

- Rich

--
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.
http://www.mulveyfamily.com/kids

user wrote:
On 24 Aug 2006 11:13:30 -0700, G.Mack wrote:
He's doing this to get your attention; possible to say he's not happy
about something. As a male, I can tell you this is not normal
behavior. Is he very intraverted?


Or, he's doing it because he's a young boy, and young boys often
do things that are patently stupid or silly.

Must *everything* that some sort of deep social or emotional
significance?

Nope, but if you think back to when you were 9(4th grade), can you
remember any friends punching themselves in the face? I can't. We did
a lot of silly, stupid, and dangerous stuff, but no one ever goes
around punching themselves in the face. My 1 year old did that for a
while, but if I see a 9 year old do that, I'll assume he's mentally ill
and woudn't let my 10 year old play with him.

In article . com, G.Mack
says...


user wrote:
On 24 Aug 2006 11:13:30 -0700, G.Mack wrote:
He's doing this to get your attention; possible to say he's not happy
about something. As a male, I can tell you this is not normal
behavior. Is he very intraverted?


Or, he's doing it because he's a young boy, and young boys often
do things that are patently stupid or silly.

Must *everything* that some sort of deep social or emotional
significance?

Nope, but if you think back to when you were 9(4th grade), can you
remember any friends punching themselves in the face? I can't. We did
a lot of silly, stupid, and dangerous stuff, but no one ever goes
around punching themselves in the face. My 1 year old did that for a
while, but if I see a 9 year old do that, I'll assume he's mentally ill
and woudn't let my 10 year old play with him.


Easily you don't remember being nine quite well enough, from quite the right
perspective, to remember if you did patently dumb stuff like that or not.

I'll rely on my observations as a Cub Scout coleader, and this sure sounds
exactly like a nine year old boy to me. In fact, since I only have one child,
one great benefit of the Cub Scouts to *me*, was that I found that all that
nutso bam bam silly slam slam fall about giggle punch kick stuff *my* kid does -
they ALL do. Good thing else maybe *I'd* have been the one hauling my kid to a
shrink.

If it isn't the kind of thing that's happening at the expense of former
interests or along with some overall larger change in behavior, I wouldn't worry
about it. If either of those *is* the case; I'd start by bringing the behaviors
up with a pediatrician.

Banty


--

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5222154.stm