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Is it odd that my teen son stashes salt & vinegar crisps in his room...for "historica


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Posted

I was cleaning the house one day, when I found 20 packets of uneaten salt and vinegar flavoured crisps in my 16-year-old son's bedroom wardrobe.

 

I then found another 40 up in the loft in his bedroom.

 

I have asked him why he had the crisps but he insists "These are of historical importance!"

 

He also said he likes crisps too - all flavours!

 

What can I do?

 

Brian, a concerned dad.

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Posted

Note title is "Is it odd that my son stashes crisps away for historical importance?"

Posted

"These are of historical importance!"

 

Did you ask him why? How?

 

I know someone who used to save empty cola tins because they were 'limited editions' & were collectible! :laugh: It's a marketing ploy which clearly works on some people.

 

He probably thinks they'll be valuable at some point in the future, though only God knows how. Or maybe there are cards to collect or some such thing.

 

I suppose a more sinister explanation could be that he has an eating disorder, but that is rare in boys & no doubt you would have expressed a concern in that regard.

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Posted
"These are of historical importance!"

 

Did you ask him why? How?

 

I know someone who used to save empty cola tins because they were 'limited editions' & were collectible! :laugh: It's a marketing ploy which clearly works on some people.

 

He probably thinks they'll be valuable at some point in the future, though only God knows how. Or maybe there are cards to collect or some such thing.

 

I suppose a more sinister explanation could be that he has an eating disorder, but that is rare in boys & no doubt you would have expressed a concern in that regard.

 

 

No special offer to collect on the crisps, they're just the plain blue-packet salt-and-vinegar crisps.

 

He seems to keep getting new packs, various brands, day after day!

 

What do me and his mum do??

Posted

What do me and his mum do??

 

Ask him why he's collecting them. 'They are of historical importance', is not an answer. Probe further. It doesn't have to be confrontational, simply that you & his mother are curious & want to understand.

 

You've got me quite interested now - I want to know!

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Posted
What do me and his mum do??

 

Ask him why he's collecting them. 'They are of historical importance', is not an answer. Probe further. It doesn't have to be confrontational, simply that you & his mother are curious & want to understand.

 

You've got me quite interested now - I want to know!

 

I have just asked him why - he's still off school this week - and he just repeated that they were of historical importance.

 

He hasn't just got salt and vinegar, he's got hundreds of other flavours, various brands of crisps etc. - all uneaten!!

 

It seems odd - should we take him to a psychiatrist or a psychologist??

Posted

It seems odd - should we take him to a psychiatrist or a psychologist??

 

It does indeed seem odd, I'll grant you that. If it's odd enough to warrant medical intervention, that I don't know.

 

No doubt it is sometimes difficult to talk to teenagers, but if you want to get to the bottom of this you're going to have to try.

 

Like I said earlier,

 

..and he just repeated that they were of historical importance.

 

is not an answer.

 

You need to ask more questions. What makes them historically important? Why doesn't he eat them & just keep the packets? How long has he been collecting crisps like this? Is this something his friends are doing as well? What does he intend to do with his collection?

 

The collection, in & of itself, isn't indicative of a disorder. Are there other things about his behaviour that concern you? Have his grades fallen dramatically in a short space of time? Is he a social person who has suddenly become reclusive? Has he lost a lot of weight recently? Have his eating patterns changed? Has his relationship with you and/or his mother changed (beyond the normal teenage angst stuff)? Has he broken up with a girl?

 

These are things, among others, I would consider before thinking about a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Posted

:rolleyes:

 

I guess they are at it again. Its beginning to be like the Weekly World News of posting. The 'my 16 year old wants to have sex with a 90 year old' posts must have reached max mileage.

Posted
:rolleyes:

 

I guess they are at it again. Its beginning to be like the Weekly World News of posting. The 'my 16 year old wants to have sex with a 90 year old' posts must have reached max mileage.

hmmm......

Have I been duped by a troll you thinks?

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Posted
:rolleyes:

 

I guess they are at it again. Its beginning to be like the Weekly World News of posting. The 'my 16 year old wants to have sex with a 90 year old' posts must have reached max mileage.

 

Why do you assume every post is a joke?? Stop being so cynical and lighten up!!

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Posted
hmmm......

Have I been duped by a troll you thinks?

 

No. Not at all.

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Posted
It seems odd - should we take him to a psychiatrist or a psychologist??

 

It does indeed seem odd, I'll grant you that. If it's odd enough to warrant medical intervention, that I don't know.

 

No doubt it is sometimes difficult to talk to teenagers, but if you want to get to the bottom of this you're going to have to try.

 

Like I said earlier,

 

..and he just repeated that they were of historical importance.

 

is not an answer.

 

You need to ask more questions. What makes them historically important? Why doesn't he eat them & just keep the packets? How long has he been collecting crisps like this? Is this something his friends are doing as well? What does he intend to do with his collection?

 

The collection, in & of itself, isn't indicative of a disorder. Are there other things about his behaviour that concern you? Have his grades fallen dramatically in a short space of time? Is he a social person who has suddenly become reclusive? Has he lost a lot of weight recently? Have his eating patterns changed? Has his relationship with you and/or his mother changed (beyond the normal teenage angst stuff)? Has he broken up with a girl?

 

These are things, among others, I would consider before thinking about a psychologist or psychiatrist.

 

 

He is doing excellent academically, and he hasn't become reclusive. Nor has he lost a lot of weight recently.

 

He doesn't have a girlfriend at the moment, but wants one.

Posted

That sounds a lot like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

 

OCD can manifest in a multitude of ways; some people wash their hands 30-40 times a day, some become obsessed with thoughts, some obsessively 'collect' bizarre things (forks, old newspapers, cereal boxes) and some, like my best friend's ex-fiancee, start practicing odd rituals....such as never touching batteries on a Tuesday and never flicking on the hallway light before 1 PM.

 

People with OCD are often very bright and creative; I had another friend who dated a PhD (a well-known psychoanalyst in New York, of all things!) who had a terrible case of OCD. His apartment was filled with trash bags, magazines and wire hangers.

 

I can't imagine these crisps (potato chips in Americanese?) having any significant historical value whatsoever. This behavior is very odd indeed.

 

I would maybe have a therapist get involved.

Posted
Why do you assume every post is a joke?? Stop being so cynical and lighten up!!

 

Actually I don't assume every post is a joke. Only the obvious ones. The tone, style, and word choice are all very similar to other troll postings I've seen and I've seen lots here.

 

IF it is true, then get the kid some help.

Posted

Nobody would say 'why do you assume every post is a joke' who hadn't posted some of the other posts considered jokes. I put it to you that if he actually did have 'hundreds' of such bags, he could hardly have had them hidden since they would spill all over the room.

 

Busted.

Posted

Hes collecting them to sell them at school. Someone is taking his lunch money or his snack at school so he bought a stash and is selling them to other kids so they will be his friends. Its one thing to collect things, but if he can not tell you why they are of historical importance, then something is up. Hell, I dunno. :confused:

 

 

 

 

 

Jade

Posted

Bizzare , it would be an interesting thing to collect though. If this is for real, hes a teenager, being a strange teenager .I dont see much to worry about here.

Posted
Nobody would say 'why do you assume every post is a joke' who hadn't posted some of the other posts considered jokes.

 

Busted.

 

 

exactly what i was just about to post. outcast, you always get here before me, i think!

 

i must be more slacker/less shacker sometimes...

Posted

my question is....what are these crisps? All i can think of is something like Pringles! Someone explain!

Posted
Nobody would say 'why do you assume every post is a joke' who hadn't posted some of the other posts considered jokes. I put it to you that if he actually did have 'hundreds' of such bags, he could hardly have had them hidden since they would spill all over the room.

 

Busted.

 

 

:lmao:......

Posted

Guys, this isn't rocket scientists. They call them 'lorries', we call them 'trucks'. They say 'jumpers', we say 'sweaters'. They have 'crisps' and we have 'chips'.

Posted

What parent complains about finding chips? So he has an odd fetish for chips. Be happy you didn't find coke or used foils or something. What's up with going through his room anyway? Maybe he was stocking up to give you an XMas gift.

Posted
What parent complains about finding chips? So he has an odd fetish for chips. Be happy you didn't find coke or used foils or something. What's up with going through his room anyway? Maybe he was stocking up to give you an XMas gift.

 

:lmao: christmas gift!!! Is it like being given coal for being a naughty child?

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

What I found amusing was the Title : Is it Odd... no, of course not, it is perfectly normal!! If it had of been 'my teen son already has pimples' alright then, but stashing chips? Of course its odd!!!

Posted

Or maybe it is OCD. Sounds reasonable enough, but I wouldn't rush to a psychologist or psychiatrist, it'll likely just make him reclusive and angry. Someone way up there on the post mentioned OCD...some people collect newspapers, other's are freakishly clean (such as my mother - she has OCD among a myriad of other disorders) so what's wrong with thinking he may have an obsession with chips? seriously though...you might want to just seriously ask him what the chips are all about.

BUT THEY'RE JUST CHIPS. :p

Posted

Not read all the replies yet, but it is possible he plans on selling them at school? Making a profit or something?

 

Is there any other odd behaviour changes going on? Other than the normal brooding teenager bit.

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