[wordsmither]

I need to vent to a group of people I hope will understand!

Sure enough, DS (age 6) has started peeing in his room. The first two times, we thought a nice severe consequence would put an end to it, but noooooo. Tonight, he decided to use his nightlight as target practice. And he got a bit of a shock (literally!), setting off the breaker, and possibly permanently shorting the wiring. Even got a little smoke coming out of the outlet!

Our plan is to cover all the outlets with solid faceplates (there's not a child safety cover that he can't pry off!). And I'll be looking for the strongest pee stain/smell remover I can find (we're renters, and I'm guessing we've already said goodbye to our security deposit!).

Any other ideas? Am I the only one dealing with this?

[lucyjoy]

My son managed to short out some electricity in our home once, but not from pee. (They had other fun with pee games)

Consequencing the peeing seldom works-gives it too much power.

We never had much luck getting the pee smells out. We ripped up the carpet and went to different types of flooring.

Sorry, not much help here but BTDT and know it's just not fun.

[AmyAnne]

Call them Chem Dry people. They can get the cat pee out of the carpet, I'm sure they can get little boy pee out.

And make him do age appropriate tasks to help pay off the chemdry tab.

[greenrobin]

We used a product called En-Zap. I bought it at a commercial cleaning supply store. It took the smell out of everything.

[AmyAnne]

He also may be doing this to get a reaction. So the less of a reaction you give, the better. "Oh, I see you've chosen to pee on the carpet. Well, you'd better go get the bucket and scrub brush and clean that up" (Yes, you will likely have to go over it AGAIN later, but make him accountable for it.

Think of it this way. He is tuning in for the "Parent Show". You are FAR more interesting to watch if you are ranting and raving and waving your arms around than if you react as mentioned above.

Other possibilities are: (I am assuming this is a foster or adopted child?) that maybe he was punished severely for peeing the floor in his birth home, and is making sure you're REALLY not going to beat him for it. He may be feeling too comfortable in your house, feel unsettled by that, and subconsciously by trying to push you away. Or maybe something bad happened to him in the bathroom, such as abuse or sexual abuse? My son was terrified to take a shower (still is) after dark. It used to be debilitating for him (we used to have to stand guard outside his bathroom door. We gradually pulled away from this until he can take a shower on his own, though he doesn't want us to be outside in the yard while he's taking one, and he continues to harbor a rampant fear that the lights will go out while he's in the shower.)

Has be been evaluated for Attachment Disorder or ODD?

[hrisme]

Nature's Solution...you can buy it at any pet supply store. Works for pet pee & kid pee!

This isn't JUST a foster/adopted child thing, it's actually not uncommon with little boys in this age range. My friend's little boy has peed several times in his brother's boot! If it's a matter of being afraid to leave the bedroom (doesn't sound like it--since he's intentionally aiming!) a potty seat in the room might help.

I agree with the previous poster, though, if it's obviously a defiant behavior. No emotional reaction, and natural consequences as much as possible. I had a respite family who finally gave up the fight, pulled out the carpet, and put in a tile floor. Still didn't keep the kids from peeing in the heat vent though...

[reapingjoy]

I use Urine Gone. It's an "advertised on tv" thing, but I recently found it in Walmart. I also have a friend who uses a product from an actual cleaning supply company. I can't remember what it's called, but I know it's a bacteria that actually eats the urine (sorry if that's gross) & she says it goes right down in the carpet & everything. She has a million animals in her house & it doesn't really even smell like it, so it must work.

[wordsmither]

I honestly think he started doing it for his own entertainment (odd as it may sound), but I do also suspect he's testing our boundaries. His last placement did spank him, and its still hard for him to believe we're not going to.

Thanks for the feedback - I'm gonna hunt down those carpet cleaners that were recommended!

[AmyAnne]

Another good one is Nature's Miracle, available at petsmart...

Again, if all fail, call the ChemDry guys and pay the $70

[mommyjamie]

When our ds was with us for about six months, he peed in the shampoo bottle to get back at our bs. He had attachment issues and was very jealous of his brother. We still tease T about washing his hair with urine. Boys are so gross!!!!! But I still love 'em.