Talkative 5yr old

[ChristyH]

My DD has always been a talker, she was talking in full sentences when most children were still learning to put 2 words together. For the longest time we thought it was such a wonderful thing, she is very bright and figured it went with the territory. But she talks all the time, if you don't hear Maddie's voice it must mean she's asleep. It's gotten to the point were I have actually learned to tune her out to rest my brain, and I feel awful about that. Maddie and her mouth is a running family joke and I hate that.
The problem is that her constant talking includes interrupting, trouble getting to sleep and now trouble in school. I'm getting notes home from the teachers and she is bring home work to do that is usually designated for the classroom but since she spends her time talking she has to do it at home.
If I can get her to be quiet for a little while her body starts twitching and doing things because she just wants to get something out of ther mouth. It's almost like she just can't calm herself down enough to just sit still.

I don't want to silence her but I want her to be learning in school and not talking and my brain just needs a rest!
We've tried time-outs, taking away toys, no ice cream money for school, no play-dates. She just has an abundance of energy and can't seem to find another outlet for it. Is there anything natural or herbal out there that might be able to calm her down enough to be able to pay attention?

Any thoughts?

[littlest birds]

IMO the school's behavior requirements are not appropriate for your dd. She can't learn to have this self-control all at once, but should be expected to do it little by little. She is wonderful, intelligent, and this is a great powerful trait that will hard to learn to manage. I don't think punishments will work.

I think I'd be finding ways to give her times when she should talk--opportunities to tell you interesting things at length. And balance that with clear communication of times when she should wait and this is not appropriate. Her not understanding how to control this and know what is appropriate and understand how her actions affect others is quite typical of a 5yo even if the talking behavior is out of the ordinary. That understanding will improve over time with maturity, even if it remains a special challenge for a lifetime. (I confess--I am like your daughter. Very much so. And I remember how I drove my mom crazy.)

I don't know about calming herbals. I'd do chamomile tea @ bedtime, maybe. But to change this behavior dramatically, I don't know how right or possible that would be. Personally, I homeschool because it gives us more non-med options. I tend to feel a little exhausted too--like the children can be so over-stimulating for me and so high-maintenance that I can't think. But we have found ways to keep it going. I don't think you should feel guilty about tuning out, if you find ways to tune in at other times. It seems natural to do so under those circumstances.

You might want to look into evaluation for ADHD or other possible dx. Even w/o meds, you can learn a lot of interaction skills and tactics for working on these challenges if you can frame it with a dx.

[ChristyH]

Thanks for responding!

I have a feeling I have a public speaker on my hands Which is a good thing of course. I like the fact that she is not shy and speaks her mind and I know that will get her far in the future. I just worry about her missing things at school and falling behind or dragging another student down with her.
I would love to try home schooling but to tell you the truth I don't think I have the strength to do it. With a 2 yr old in EI and a 9 month old, I think trying to teach a 5 yr old would just make it worse and I don't think she would really learn anything.
And I do not want to put her on meds, I am completely against that.

Thanks for the suggestions too, I need to get her on a tighter schedule and maybe a few outlets to help with the energy. She's going to be starting gymnastics after the first of the year so I'm hoping that helps (she's this tiny, petite, strong, ball of energy) and I think its the perfect thing for her

[pb&j_mommy]

This sounds like my 5 yr old DSS. He started talking full sentences way before most other children. And he hasn't been able to stop. I can tell if he's awake or sleeping by hearing his voice or other noises he chooses to make. He just started kindergarten this year and he's had some "homework" sent home because he didn't get it done in class. His teacher says he's improving from when he first started going, but I'm wondering how his progress is going if he can't get his work done in class. Anyhow...he had been diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago, but we didn't act on it (they recommended meds, but we have reservations on it at this time). I would just make sure that he has a strict schedule and to keep reminding. Good luck!

JK