I have been struggling with what to do with my Crockett. At four years old he should not be so strong headed and so hard to control. When he goes to his church class on Sunday or Wednesday night, they should not come get me from my class and tell me that he is throwing stuff at other kids, the teachers and being all around defiant. When he goes to his Mother's Day Out twice a week, I should not get a call from them saying that he is calling what his teacher wants him to do (or maybe possibly his teacher) stupid and refusing to do what they say. I will NEVER be one of those parents that thinks that it is someone else's fault that my child is acting like a hellion! Although he could be sleepy and need a nap or be itchy cause his eczema is flaring, it is NEVER okay to be like that to an adult or to anyone, for that matter! It falls back on me and my hand, in turn, falls back on him. Nobody makes MAMA look stupid!!
Wednesday night Crockett was brought from his classroom for the second time in about an hour. He has already had a warning so it was time for the second step, spanking. I don't do bare bottom spankings but I have gotten tired of dealing with this disrespect issue and figured this was my last resource. So, without going into detail, after the smack on the bottom and a good talking to, they said they had no problems with him for the rest of the night.
The next day was MDO. He goes from 8am-2pm and by 11am, I had a phone call from the director saying he was yelling at the teacher, falling on the floor and refusing to get up for time out and either called his teacher stupid or what she was asking him to do. INEXCUSABLE!
I told her to give the phone to Crockett and if what I said to him didn't straighten him up, I would come get him. Crockett answers the phone with the sweetest little "Yes, momma?" I had to remind myself of why I was talking to him. I asked him if he remembered me giving him the bare bottom spanking at church the night before and he said, "yes, momma" and then I asked him if he wanted me to come there and give him another one? He said no and I began asking him if various questions. Trying to make it clear that he what he was saying and doing was WRONG. I asked, "Do we throw toys at our friends? he said, NO. Do we call our teachers names? NO! Do we act ugly to our friends? NO! Do we ever say stupid? NO! Do we do what our teacher tells us to? YES! Do we do our school work? YES! Do we be good until mommy comes and picks us up? YES! Then I reminded him that if I had to come up there and get him early that he WOULD get his bare bottom spanking again and he said, "yes, momma, I be good." And that was that. They said they didn't have another problem with him that day.
In between that phone call and picking him up, I began researching reasons for unruly children (besides lack of discipline). I had spoken previously to a friend, Brandy, about different dyes and colors in food and how it effects her son. I figure it's worth a shot to try this new strategy. SO, effective as soon as I get most of the groceries I JUST purchased out of my house (because I can not afford to waste anything), my boys will be on a dye free diet. Crockett can't have most of the things that have red dye in them anyway so I am thinking that this may help. Here are a few things that I have found while researching that might help you know the signs to watch for in your children!
Dyes can cause an outbreak in eczema or an eczema flare up! Multiple posts suggested that if you are keeping the foods from your child that they are allergic to and their eczema is still flaring, it could possibly be due to dyes which are not able to be tested for an allergy.
Many food that children ingest could have these dyes. Candy such as gummy bears, Skittles, Popsicles, ice creams and lollipops all have food dye. There is also food dye in many cheeses, crackers and breads. The key is to read the label! Some labels may just say artificial color and flavors, which is a catch all phrase. Certain medicines could have dyes (Benadryl & some others have a dye free version available). This hits home with me because many times I use benadryl and have used it to clear up an allergic reaction. If my child has an allergy to dyes, I have been forcing one of these allergies into his system. :0( Many lotions and shampoos and soaps have dyes in them. Some children react to topical dyes and others react only when ingested.
Skin - urticaria/angiodema, atopic dermatitis, sweating,itching, flushing
Gastrointestinal - abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea
Respiratory, asthma symptoms, cough, rhinitis
Musculoskeletal - muscle aches, joint aches, fatigue, weakness
Neurologic - behavior and mood changes, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, migraine headaches, numbness, Cardiac palpitations, arrhythmias
ADHD like symptoms can result from a food dye allergy, especially to the red dye. Many parents of children diagnosed with ADHD have taken all food colorings out of their children’s diets and seen remarkable improvements in behavior. Studies have shown that there is a firm link between food dyes, allergies and ADHD like behavior. This can be very difficult for children, as schools are prone to seek labeling and perhaps special services, when all they need is a modification in their diet.
Most of these symptoms have effected Crockett. The atopic dermatitis, asthma symptoms, behavior, attention and hyperactivity problems. I am truly hoping that taking these dyes out of his diet will greatly effect his quality of life!
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