My seven year old has developed this aweful habit of chewing on her hair, and constantly sticking her tongue out. She looks like she is trying to catch a fly with her tongue! I have tried to show her how she looks when she does this, and she agrees that it looks wierd. The chewing on the hair is driving me nuts!! How do I get her to stop chewing on her hair and to leave her tongue in her mouth???
Try a pony tail or braid to make her hair difficult to get to her mouth. My daughter, same age, had a horrible habit of chewing on her shirt sleeves. It drove me nuts. It stopped after a while and I don't think it was anything I did. Or if it was, I don't know what I might have done to influence it. Good luck.
There is also the possibility that the tongue thing could be a tic associated with Tourette Syndrome. My husband and I both have this, and our son has been showing signs of it as well. She's at right about the age of onset as well. It is actually an incredibly common condition that a lot of people have without ever being diagnosed. If she obviously does not seem like she knows she's doing it, then punishing her for it or even drawing attention to it will only make it worse if it is TS. When I was little, I twitched my nose like a bunny. It drove my mom crazy, but the more she yelled at me about it, the more I did it. If it's TS, she literally cannot stop doing these things, even if it looks like she's doing it deliberately. Watch her closely for awhile. If she's sticking out her tongue while doing something else and doesn't realize people are watching her, please consider that it may be a tic. TS has such a stigma to it b/c of misrepresentation in the media. Not all of us bark or cuss; most people with TS have minor tics that are just a nuisance to us and not really anything that affect other people.
I think most everyone has a "bad" habit that they pick up in the early years. Some are more tolerable than others. Be happy that you don't have a child who constantly picks at her nails to the point where they begin to bleed.
Does your daughter know she is chewing on her hair? If so, then I would defiantly say she is doing this more to get you riled up. It sounds like it really bothers you. Your daughter is 7 and very aware of what makes you tick and what doesn't. If that is the case I would tell her that you will cut her hair short if she continues to bite on her hair.
If she is not realizing that she is biting on her hair. I would give it a little while. She may just grow out of it. Don't outwardly show your daughter that it's bothering you that much. You may find that she will stop this habit right away if no one is noticing anymore.
I know this may sound harsh to some but punishment may be the answer for sticking her tongue out. That is not a nervous habit, she has to think about doing that before she does it. The only thing is if you plan a punishment you MUST follow through with it.
Chewing on her hair my be a nervous habit and my not be as easy to stop. Cutting her shorter my help but at her age that is hard if she like her long hair. But you may give her the option, if you want to keep your long hair you will need to stop chewing on your hair. If you and your husband prefer she has long hair than cutting it is not the answer.
Best of Luck
