Single-Minded Obsession

For weeks now, my daughter has wanted new gold fish for her aquarium.  I don't mind goldfish.  They are a very minimal investment.  If they die, they can easily be replaced.  We've had goldfish for some years now.  The most we'd had at one point was eight.  My daughter names every one of them.  They each have their own separate personality.  One is called Jerky Face Lemonade (because of antics it makes), Calmer Palmer, Angel Survivor Palmer, etc.  For her birthday, in fact, the tank was starting to get crowded, so we upgraded from a 5 gallon tank to a 10 gallon tank.  The only thing I don't like about the 10-gallon tank is you really can't carry it around to change out the water so easily.  Of course, that is why they make those suctioning devices, which clean out the water.  The problem is, one should really use these and clean out the water on a regular basis.  Do I do this?  No!  Does my daughter do this?  No!!  She won't clean after her fish without much prompting.  Anyway, so she's been insisting on buying 3 fish with her allowance the past few weeks; only dad has told her only 1.  To this, she hopes that I don't hear and continually badgers me and asks me when we are going to get these fish. 

Two weeks ago, we bought a fish.  It died.  The following week, we bought one replacement fish.  It died, and now another has died.  Very sad.  It could be the water.  It could also be that fish just don't have that long of a life.  Well, my daughter started in on me last Monday (as she always does, when she wants something,) about how soon can we go to the pet store.  I remind her that I don't do impulsive pet shopping, during the week.  It must wait until the weekend.  So, Thursday rolls by, and she wants to know if we can go Friday night.  Knowing full well, that I don't want to commit and probably won't be in any kind of a mood to shop for gold fish on a Friday night, I tell her that we'll just have to wait and see.  That's the only protection I have from her incessant asking, pleading with me to have fish.  Either I postpone and put her off with every reason I can possibly come up with or she will keep badgering me.  I consider it torture, and I don't take that word lightly.  My husband can say "no" and tune her out.  For whatever reason, I cannot tune her out.  I have to close doors, leave the house or whatever.  She will not stop and leave me alone.  My daughter can be a bully! 

So, yesterday, she didn't get to buy her fish because it got too late and because she had asked one too many times, and dad put his foot down and said "no!" because of all the incessant, harassment of mom to get her a damned fish.  For two nights in a row, it's after 8:30 pm and she's asking me about going to the pet store.  I'm telling her that it's too late and that they are closing.  She doesn't care about my reasoning and insists that they are open and that we need to go.  It winds up in an argument and frustration and me not wanting to be in the same room with her.  Last night, in fact, even after my husband told her that she wasn't getting a fish because of her bugging me, she comments that she can't wait until tomorrow.  I knew exactly what that means.  She thinks she's getting a fish, and she's going to start in on me the following day about getting her a fish.  What a life!

So, this morning, she's up early, when normally she'll sleep about 10 hours on the weekend.  I know exactly what that's about.  She's obsessed all night long about getting a fish and is up and ready to get a fish.  I hear her pacing outside my door, not in front of my door.  This is just a normal ritual she has.  I've tried like everything to redirect her to another floor or outside in the yard or something, but it has to be in the same spot every time, in the middle of everything.  I'm not looking forward to leaving my room and being pounced on with her requests and am dreading her coming into my room as well.  It sounds horrible, but this is what it can be like living with a person, who has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).

Well, I am up and did reluctantly leave my room, which is my place of refuse in a lot of situations, although it’s far from being Fort Knox, as people have keys, bang on the door, I can hear them, etc.  It works for the most part though.  She is not bothering me about the pet store, but that’s because another fish of hers died.  Fortunately, my husband has talked some sense into her about waiting another week before bothering me about a fish again.  So, she’s moved on to another source of obsession and irritation, picking on her brother, who was trying to peacefully sleep in the living room of all places.  Yippee!!!