My ds is 12 and for the last few days (since a scout camp-out)has been complaining about being really tired and is actually laying down and sleeping. He doesn't have a fever, no other body complaints. Could it be that he is just growing? He isn't eating any more than usual, and may be eating less than usual. Any suggestions.
One week later and I've got my goofy 12 year old boy back. I guess it was just a matter of not sleeping in the great outdoors in 20 degree weather. I checked the tick issue and the possible things that could have happened, negative on both counts. He's back to normal again. Thanks for listening to this 1st time mom panic.
I would question to see if something happened while on the camp out. Sleeping is a sign of depression. Maybe something happened and he doesn't know how to deal with it. If it continues for much longer I would see his Dr.
Better late than never...I highly recomend a book and its sequel: The wonder of boys by M. Gurian
and the 2nd : A fine young man
As a mom of 3 boys my self, I find the info very useful and this info needs to be spread....
I'm glad to hear your son is back to himself but remember it takes great amounts of energy to creat this young man, lots of testosterone surges and growing at crazy rates at crazy times.
Blessed be....
Hi, L.!
So happy to read that your young man is back to normal. You received lots of good counseling about tics, etc., and watching him. But I had to laugh out loud, because I knew exactly what you were dealing with!!! I was in Scouting from 2nd grade to graduation, and have served a few years as a leader. However, I am also married to a 50+ years of Scouting veteran!!!!! He is a wonderful man, and I have met so many wonderful people through Scouting. His troop used to always go on a 50-miler over Mother's Day weekend, and the moms thought it was the best Mother's Day gift ever! They got some peace and quiet, and when their scout got home, he was worn out and they got MORE peace and quiet. Plus they were learning great life skills and values.
PLEASE READ THIS: Some have intimated that you should watch out for bad experiences with adults in Scouting. It can happen, but is very, very rare and the good leaders have to take the suspicions from others because of it. Please know that the great majority of leaders are very concerned with your child's welfare, and would defend them to the death if necessary. Just as an aside, remember how popular accusing someone can become after an incident makes the news; it can become a witch hunt.
I personally know of one case where a Scouter (not a scout leader, but worked with the boys) was accused, tried, imprisoned, lost his Eagle Scout status, can never work with kids again, lost a lucrative job and so much more. It turned out nothing ever happened. After he was in a half-way house before returning home (already having served prison time), the young man he was accused of abusing confessed that the whole thing had been a lie. His parents had made him say something happened, apparently because they thought it might have. He must have been scared of them. At the time, the Scouter was going through some bad emotional trials (marriage ended suddenly in a bad way, etc.), and drinking heavily. Yes, he used terrible judgment to drink when with kids (there were other adults present as well, and it was not a Scout function), but he has paid a terrible price for it, too. He could not remember anything that happened that evening because of the drinking. The charges were not reversed because he wouldn't make the young man go through the legal process and humiliation for him. They are friends to this day, and there has never been an incident concerning this former Scouter again. He has finally gotten his life back together and is happy, but he went through so much and was innocent.
All that to say this: don't look at all adults that work with young people as if they are evil; be aware, but not prejudiced.
And have a good time with Scouting... it's a wonderful part of growing up.
Happy Scouting!
i would get him to a doc.. maybe a tick.. which can cause lyme's disease a symptom is fatigue. look your son over and get him checked out asap
Could just be catching up... do they ever sleep there??? NO but also could be MONO... I would go in and have him checked out... but growing and camping are a really good sign of just catching up on sleep... he may also have gotten a tic... check him over...
If this is a drastic change I think some things need to be investigated. Catching up on sleep is one thing, but it doesn't take many days.
I am very concerned that something happened to your son at camp that was tramatic. It is unfortunate that in our society many people take advantage of children. Does your son know that he can tell you if someone made him uncomfortable? Has he been taught how to deal with a situation that could confront him?
Predators count on kids to keep quiet and are almost always people the kids know and trust. If there is not a medical reason for your son's changes, please find help and try to see if anybody broke this trust with your son.
I am very sorry that you might have to deal with a horrible situation. My heart reaches out to your family.
It's not normal, get him checked out. Any depression issues?
I have a 14, 12 & 10 year old
A.
I completely agree with Heather. I would do just what she suggested. Don't let this go without checking on his emotional state.
If it happens again, check out this web page. I saw this on Mystery Diagnosis and thought of it as soon as I read your post.
http://www.klsfoundation.org/kleine/levin/syndrome/what_i...
If he is catching up on sleep lost at the camp out then this is probably normal. How many days has he been this way. Have you gotten the impression that anything out of the ordinary or tramatic happened at the camp out? Does he appear depressed or had any other personality changes? I would talk to him or have dad talk to him and just see if there is anything going on- not health related. Twelve is the beginning of the emotional rollercoaster of the teens and sleeping a lot when you are not sick is often a form of escape.
There are also plenty of health related items that it could be including mono- if he shared drinking water with other scouts... you might want to make an appointment with his pediatrician if this keeps up for more than 4-5 days. Good luck
Sometimes the food we eat and the amount of sleep we do get before a trip like that can be vitally important. I know that i cant eat fast food or greasy food anymore because i go into a downward energy dive and if i continue it just gets worse from there. Also even if he doesn't look dehydrated he could still be. give him so vitamins (find the best one, keep him up during the day if all possible and then make sure he crashes at the same time everyday. get his body back on schedule. Kids need schedules and a guidelines. they flourish that way. if it doesn't change in a week, I give the doctor a call or maybe speak with a nurse over the phone.
Dont forget the possibility of Mono. I'd see if he doesnt feel better in the next couple days, if he's not, I'd definetly get him checked for Mono, Depression, or anything else that may be going on.
L.,
Is he depressed? Or is he just catching up on his sleep?
Give him a week and is thing don't change maybe something happened at that campout that is bothering him.
C. B
It might be that he's growing or all the fresh air from camping and the excitement.
Might have been the "normal" growth spurt situation. Watch for the clothes to start to shrink! My son's (13 yrs old) feet went from size 9 to 11 from October to December now they are a size 13! I told him to stop growing!
He tends to sleep all the time as his body starts to grow. They need that rest process during those times. That is how I know to get ready to buy new clothes.
Glad to hear things are back on track for your son!
I am a fourth grade teacher and mother of 2 grown children. I have 4 younger brothers and 16 nephews. I was also a scout leader and 4-H leader for over 20 years. Often when we had camps my parents reported the same thing happening with their children. The children get so excited and worn out- kind of like jet lag. It was great that you checked to see if there was a problem though. I have had Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Both heal best if caught quickly. So don't feel bad about being a cautious parent. You did the right thing.
Please be aware that soon your child will reach a growth spurt and may seem to sleep all the time. It seemed that suddenly all my son did was go to school, eat, and sleep. I got after him for being lazy. He grew almost 6 inches that year!! He wasn't lazy, he was busy growing (which you only do while sleeping). Now that I have seen my nephews go through the same thing I realize they are being smart by resting when their bodies need it.
It is wonderful that your son is involved in scouting. That will help build his character and his social skills. I have used so much of what I learned in scouting as an adult. The contacts I made are people I rely on for advice, assistance, and program help in my classroom- a great network of friendships. Also scouting offers some great college scholarships and referrals to colleges. Many employers see involvement in scouting as a big reason to hire someone. It teaches life skills and people skills. Keep encouraging your son to be involved with positive group activities. You are doing a fantastic job with your son!
Hi L.,
I am glad to hear his sleeping pattern has resumed back to normal, but if the excessive sleeping comes on again, and lasts more that a couple days, I would take him to the Dr. One thing you may consider is a complete blood count to check his hemoglobin levels. Make sure his blood counts are all in line. It's just a safety precaution. It sounds like you may have already done that? My now 5 year old at 8 months old developed a condition call autoimmune hemolytic anemia in which his immune system destroyed his own red blood. This is NOT typical and not to scare you at all. But no one would listen to me at the time and I had to bring him in 4 TIMES before they ran any blood tests to confirm there was a problem, after all, babies sleep alot right? After 2 1/2 years of this problem he has beat it! As long as your young guy's energy levels seem to be normalizing and his skin and eyes look a healthy color and bright he is likely just fine. I do encourage anyone with a concern to error on the side of caution though. If you notice a pattern of continued loss of energy and continued excessive sleeping, please have some simple blood tests run. It will give you all peace of mind. Likely a growth spurt. Keep an eye on it please.
Blessings to you and yours
D.
More than likely while at camp he was up all night telling ghost stories and having a blast then got a couple of hours sleep and out playing and doing camp things. Give him a couple of days of readjusting and he will be back to normal. Woops he is back to normal lol God Bless
Hi L.
If this happens again or you notice he is sleeping alot, drinking alot, you might want to have his blood sugar checked, these were signs of diabetes for my step son who was 16 at the time, his body just stopped making insulin and his blood sugar had gotten up to over 600 when they checked him into the hospital, same thing happened with my mom, they are both on insulin now full time.
I pray it is nothing more than just being worn out...
L.
Sorry my reply comes too late. Your son did his 1st Polar Bear, huh? Keep in mind this may be a routine for most camp-outs when he returns home. Or it may just be certain camp-outs - i.e. Polar Bear, Tenderfoot, Klondike, etc.
My son is a Life scout so that means he's one of the older boys. I've noticed lately when he goes w/ the scouts and it's mostly older boys, my son comes home normal. But if it's mostly the younger boys, my son is tired and wants to sleep more. The newness of it all keeps them awake!
boy scouts will do that to ya!!! I love it when my son goes to camp, because he actually sleeps and it is nice to have a sleepy boy rather than a mouthy boy
It sounds as though your son is going through a transformation (his knowledge is growing!) and he needs sleep just like a new born baby to absorb all that is being downloaded into his brain. Just as adults, kids need quiet time to digest everything to have a clear perspective.
It sounds exciting to me; I have a feeling you’re going to wake up one morning and see the apparent transformation and be extremely proud!
You might check out klein levin or the lesser syndromes associated with it if it happens more often. Hopefully, it was just being worn out after a jam packed week!
My question to you would be. Has he grown? My daughter just turned 7 and I know when she's about to grow because she eats like crazy for a week or more then stops and sleeps constantly, then she's back to normal and suddenly nothing fits her only to find she's grown a few inches. She has done this since birth and often skips over complete sizes like 6/9months, 3T, 5/6 and now she's on an eating binge so I know what's coming next... I just hope she holds out until warm weather so I don't have to buy all new winter clothes that will only be worn for a month or two.
