Obsessive Compulsive

My son will be 4 soon (hard to imagine).  We have had some very rough days where I was just WORN down.  Our issues lately are getting better to understand.  My patience is on extended service.  Except the obsessive compulsive behaviors. 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions).A.D.A.M.

Often the person carries out the behaviors to get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only provides temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety.

We are no where near an OCD diagnosis but he has tendencies that mock the erratic behaviors. The repeated thoughts and ideas that drive him to action and fits of uncontrolled worry!  It is hard to reason with him, persuading him to something else is nearly impossible and forget about changing his mind!  The last 3 days he has been OBSESSED with his whistle.  He is driving me insane! 

He asks, searches, talks about, begs me to find, helps me search and strongly demands the whistle.  It is nothing more than an inexpensive whistle Hannah got him on one of their excursions to Target.  But the last few days he has worried, cried, cajoled and harassed me about the whistle. I can not find it.  No where.  On and off now for 3 days I have had to calm him about a whistle and I am 100% certain that until we find the whistle, he will question me and we will look for this whistle. 

He remembers and recalls things and he worries, stresses and has anxiety when we can't find it or satisfy his obsession.  Thankfully it is most always only one issue at a time.  I have been dealing with this quirky behavior since he was able to talk!  Unfortunately, it seems to get weirder as he gets older.  I find the best way to manage him when he is obsessed and compulsively doing something is to be calm.  I always assist in the search if there is one.  I try to keep his anxiety at a minimum and focused on just the one thing so that he doesn't stress and worry about unnecessary things.  I try to get us to a safe and quiet place.  We keep things in a fairly organized manner so that things don't get lost.  Because he is not just obsessed with things but activities and people we have a schedule so there is little surprise in his routine.  If I tell him we will do something in a particular order, we do it.  We don't give him much "warning" about holidays or birthdays because he will worry, stress and have fits about what will happen.  The word SURPRISE is not a good word at our house. 

My son... almost 4.... and the fun never stops!! Now excuse me... I have to go look for a whistle!!