To be ground down and exhausted by DS’s constant talking?

[Justsorelentless]

As ds (now age 5) gets older I am increasingly finding him so hard to manage. The worst thing is he isn’t a bad child or horrible or anything but he just exhausts me because he just never, ever stops talking.

It is constant jabbering from him. A lot of it is nonsensical, a lot of it is questions but then he doesn’t listen to the answer and just starts rambling about something else (a conversation at the dinner table goes like ‘mummy which country do we live … England … no no NO, mummy, we live in … live in England …’) if he decides he wants something or is interested he says the same thing over and over and over - I do acknowledge him and reply and show an interest but he just keeps saying it.

He also makes noises a lot, like ‘being’ an aeroplane or a fire engine so there will be these random whoops and shrieks. It makes me edgy and irritable.

I have tried asking for some quiet, it never works. He is quiet for about ten seconds and then starts up again.

He is better on his own, so I don’t know if it’s an attention thing (he has a two year old sibling.) It’s just so, so constant. It affects eating as he won’t stop talking at the table so food goes everywhere (yuck) and everyone else has finished.

I wouldn’t mind if it was a sense of a reciprocal conversation but it’s just … bollocks, which I know is harsh but true!

Once upon a time there was a little boy called Roger. And Roger loved to talk.

From the moment he got up, until the moment he went to sleep he was talking. Blah, blah, blah. Prattle, prattle, prattle.

The thing was though that Roger didn't have enough to say.

But because he loved to talk, he would ask his mummy questions that he already knew the answer to like 'What time is it mummy? Or he would tell her things that she already knew: 'I've got a super watch mummy'.

And all day long it went on: prattle, prattle, prattle, blah, blah, blah.

If he's just piped down and looked at a book or played a game he would have had new things to talk about.

But he didn't see that, so he just carried on: prattle, prattle, prattle, blah, blah, blah.

Now Roger's mummy loved him, so she didn't want to say 'Pipe down Roger; you're just prattling', in case it hurt his feelings.

So she learned to close her ears and let all the prattle, prattle, prattle, blah, blah, blah wash over her.

Now one day Roger and his mummy went to Lidl.

When they got out of the car, Roger's mummy was finding the pound coin and the shopping bags, so she didn't notice a hungry wolf in the car park.

Roger noticed the hungry wolf and he said 'Mummy, there's a hungry wolf over there'. But mummy just heard blah, blah, blah, prattle, prattle, prattle, cos that's what Roger mostly said.

Then the wolf began to run towards Roger, growling and slavering and Roger cried out 'Mummy, there's a hungry wolf growling and slavering and running towards us'. But mummy just heard blah, blah, blah, prattle, prattle, prattle, cos that's what Roger mostly said.

And then the wolf grabbed Roger in his slobbery jaws and swallowed him up. And while he was being swallowed Roger shouted 'Mummy, I'm being swallowed by a slobbery, hungry wolf'. But mummy just heard blah, blah, blah, prattle, prattle, prattle, cos that's what Roger mostly said.

And now Roger is no more. He's been eaten up and swallowed by a hungry wolf.

(Actually, now, he's wolf poo)

And Roger's mummy wishes that she's said to him 'Pipe down Roger, you're just prattling'

And Roger doesn't wish anything because he's gone. Swallowed by a hungry wolf.

But if he could wish things, he would wish that he hadn't always been saying blah, blah, blah, prattle, prattle, prattle.

To be honest, if I were Roger’s mum, I would be enjoying my peace and quiet browsing the middle of Lidl - perhaps purchasing a kayak or two - and taking advantage of the special offers on fine wines with which to raise a toast to SILENCE.

No advice but my 12 year old has always been like this it drives me round the twist. Sometimes it gets to the point I can completely tune him out - if I don’t I’ll end up shouting.

I’ve just accepted it is the way he is.

I think you just described my 5 year old😂

To be honest I think its part personality and part age. My 5 year old is meeting expectations in reception but he's 'high energy'. Verbally and physically.

Just in reply to the pp who said they improve as they get older, if it is ADHD.

Not always. My long time friend has an AuDHD son in his thirties. I regularly have her turning up on my doorstep in tears because he talks AT her, incessantly, all day from the moment he gets up. She is at her wits end because he will never leave home and she sometimes simply can't stand it. He repeats too, doesn't listen to her at all and simply repeats sentences linked to whatever his special interest is.

I really hope your little lad grows out of it!

My Dd used to be like this and I now have a 5 year old granddaughter like this.

I told my dd and now my granddaughter that my brain and ears need a rest so no more talking for 5 minutes. No exceptions!

It really does work. I first thought of it when I was driving because it was getting dangerous as I couldn’t concentrate properly.

And think it is absolutely fine to tell dc to be quick occasionally.

I agree. Some of these children need to be told to shut up and punished if they do not.
Some parents think it’s charming. It isn’t.

Surely this where a little robot/online A.I. friend would be a help
A.I. Confidential series on bbc had a man in California whose partner was A.I. generated. They are designed to be supportive in conversation, kind.

That is a very good idea - I will suggest it to my friend. However, her son also has bought into conspiracy theories in a big way (one of his main topics of conversation/monologues) so I doubt he'd trust AI to talk to - although he might, it's a good thought, thank you!

My ds requires me to repeat things otherwise he will say it non stop. "Volcanoes make lava. Volcanoes make lava" x200 until I say "yes, volcanoes make lava" and then he can move on. But if I just say hmm or yes or wow how interesting he won't. It has to be a parrot style repeat of what he says.