Toddler jokingly labelled OCD

[jessifleur]

Grrrr I need to rant. My lovely 2 year old son sometimes likes to organise stuff (today, putting quoits on sticks in a row whilst at a friend's BBQ)
I think/thought this 'controlling their environment' stage was quite normal but everytime he does something like this, two friends (neither are parents) call it OCD, one even goes so far as to say "I have OCD and that's OCD". This drives me MAD!!! Firstly I don't think the occasional lining up of some cars constitutes obsessive behaviour and secondly I don't want him labelled like that.
I've tried disagreeing with them but they just continue like its a big joke; AIBU to get angry/serious with them and put them in their place about this? I might be being ridiculously over-sensitive, I am VERY pregnant!

[jessifleur]

Just to confirm Worra, have only eye rolled so far - ranting on MN is preventative measure to avoid unwise rant in person!

[AntiHop]

I agree chuffin
I hate it when people toss around the term ocd. It trivialises this very debilitating illness. People label slightly obsessive behaviours ocd all the time and it really annoys me.

[WorraLiberty]

No-one's saying it's ok Chuffin, more just that it 'happens'.

The same as people say things like, "I'm going insane", "I'm starving" "That's depressed the life out of me".

None of those things are ever true but yet people still say them.

So whilst it's not ok really, I still think the OP is BU to say she's getting 'angry/serious with them and put them in their place'.

A quick 'meh' and an eye roll often does the trick.

[jessifleur]

Statistics may not be her strong suit

[RitaCrudgington]

Bloody hell do you have 20 sons? I'm surprised you have time for friends.

[jessifleur]

Oh no Fancy, I'd prefer the climbing to wait!

[jessifleur]

One friend just doesn't 'get' kids (has already told me that "statistically" one of my sons will be gay ) the other is a bit more of a self-proclaimed expert!
I suppose like Ada says, I'm not comfortable with the OCD phrase being thrown around as a joke (my social worker Mum would not approve!) but that's a separate issue perhaps. 'Toddler expert' friend did also tell another Mum today that her 3 year old son was going to grow up to be a bully so maybe she's got more to be annoyed about than me!

[ChuffinAda]

Would you say a toddler is a bit schizophrenic or a bit dissociative personality disorder? No. So why is it OK to say a toddler is a bit OCD?

[RitaCrudgington]

Perfectly normal behaviour for a toddler would often be characteristically OCD-like (or ASD-like) in an adult - the classic "broken biscuit" tantrums leap to mind. I can see that it's annoying, but they're not exactly wrong.

Assuming they're otherwise nice friends, I'd shrug it off with "That's toddlers for you!" or share hilarious stories from MN or elsewhere about the alternative rationality that prevails in Toddler World.

[jessifleur]

Yeh I think you're right, I'm too overheated to make rational decisions!

[ApocalypseThen]

Also, a toddler won't get a complex from this.

[WorraLiberty]

Yeah I do think you're over reacting.

He's two, he's putting stuff in a row like normal two year olds.

They don't have kids, so probably might not have seen this sort of thing and tbh they don't sound like they're 100% serious and saying you should take him to a doctor.

[ApocalypseThen]

Well I think they probably feel like it's a lighthearted remark and don't mean anything by it. If you want to say something do, by all means, but they will very probably be surprised and quite hurt.

If it were me, I'd consider whether they are the kinds of people who intentionally say things to hurt people. If they aren't I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.