Tuesday, July 11, 2006

is she psycho? or just 12?

My 11-year-old son used to be friends with a neighbor girl, who's now 12. And then something happened about two years ago.

They stopped being friends.

I understand this. Boys and girls become equally icky and cootie-ridden. I was a 12-year-old girl once, and remember doing stupid stuff simply because I was a 12-year-old girl. But I don't recall girls becoming lying, spying, taunting, hitting psychopaths.

She and a friend would tease and taunt E when he returned from school. Kicking the bookbag, pushing, calling names, etc. E, of course, cannot retaliate physically because, well, these are wimpy, powerless girls. I've advised him to simply run rings around her logically, or at least hurl a razor-sharp sarcastic comment her way. And he tries, he really does. But somehow, "I know you are but what am I?" loses its effectiveness after two attempts.

Previously, we caught the girls throwing stones at our house.

Last weekend, at the neighbor's party, she told both my boys that they and their father were all going to hell. Or rather, they were going to "perish" in hell. (Thanks, Catholic Church!) She called them names, she hit them and threw things at them.

Now she'll actually taunt their dad, acting like a gorilla and hollering at him--like any gorilla in the zoo might-- in effect letting him know that she's not scared of him. She'll spy on us from her bedroom window. She knows she's off her rocker, I think, because we've spoken to her, her mom has spoken to her, etc. To no avail. Did I mention her rather intense, earlier interest in Wicca?

For the purpose of full disclosure, I'll say my kids are NOT perfect. But they do nothing to provoke this kind of weirdness. They just want to be left alone.

So. Is she psycho? Is she a bully? Is she hormonal? Will she outgrow it before finding a pierced, satan-worshipping boyfriend? Does she secretly LIKE my son? Is this just perfectly normal behavior for a 12-year-old and I should unload the gun? If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The girl needs help - keep the gun loaded.

carey said...

ya think? I always try to give kids the benefit of the doubt, but this is a tough one.

Anonymous said...

I do. The wicca thing doesn't concern me so much. However, her violence using objects, taking on an adult and not responding to her mom - scary. If she was teasing and running up giving a push then running away (so she could be "chased") I'd say she had a crush - this does not sound like that. She seems to have a lot of power.

Mommajomma said...

She is over the edge and her parents better reign her in and get her some help. I've had a 12 year old girl and while she could pretty bitchy, she was never mean-spirited which is what this child sounds like. It will only get worse. Also, she could be acting out from some type of abuse she is enduring... food for thought.

carey said...

Well, hey there, mommajomma. You sound familiar!