I first heard the term “perseverate” when my son was in first grade. The school counselor said he tended to perseverate and was not able to get back on task with his work. That sounded serious, any word with “sever” in the middle got my attention.
She explained it meant that he would get stuck on a topic and couldn’t seem to let go and return to his schoolwork.
I learned firsthand how this could be a problem when I tried to enroll my son in a private Montessori school. He was in third grade and had just gotten a James Bond 007 video game the night before his interview with the school. Every question they asked came back to the guns and violence.
“What’s your favorite subject?” Science because I can blow things up.
“What do you like to do in your free time?” Play video games with guns and he went on to tell which models of guns were his favorites.
Needless to say, his application was rejected and I learned a lot about how quickly a child could be judged and misunderstood.
I’d love to be able to channel that ability to focus on one topic into other parts of his life!
Have you had success in redirecting your child's thoughts when they're obsessing about something?
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