<![CDATA[Pen biting]]>

superkiasudad:
Hi Sarah Tan,


I do not advocate caning but me and my wife were at our wit's end! So we did cane very infrequently as a reinforcement tool. My son managed to break the habit after much tears and screaming but well, it's over for us now.

Yeah. We really at our wits end too. All her pens still smelly and have so much teethmarks! We have seen her many times still keep biting but now chose to leave it and let her concentrate on exams.

She doesn't seem shy to let people see that she bites her pens. Our church friends came over the other day and even their daughter commented, \"wah your pen bite until like that. Poor pen! Don't lei, your teeth will get spoilt and its not very hygenic.\" She giggled saying don't know why like to bite and even after that day, she still bite her pens all the time! She also like to bite straw until flat and her water bottle she also bite. (look so ugly but we are not changing it because sure just waste money)

Wondering what to do and what other parents to stop this habit. If young child, maybe easier to correct but now that she is 11, can't quite cane her or time out her for these things.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/77679/pen-bitingRSS for NodeThu, 07 May 2026 13:09:49 GMTSat, 27 Sep 2014 19:36:42 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:12:21 GMT]]>Hi Sarah Tan,


I do not advocate caning but me and my wife were at our wit’s end! So we did cane very infrequently as a reinforcement tool. My son managed to break the habit after much tears and screaming but well, it’s over for us now.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1387113https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1387113Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:12:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Sat, 30 Aug 2014 08:54:16 GMT]]>

superkiasudad:
Sarahtan:

Sigh.... I scold, I painted some stuff, she is still biting biting biting. Today still see her biting her mechanical pencil. (And the saliva also go inside) yuck. Don't know what to do. Scold, talk smack her hand, she still do it. And I cannot whole day watch her also.


Looking at her pens, I think she doesn't care about the bitter stuff. In school she must still be biting because more and more teeth marks appears on it.

The only thing is her results still good..Maybe because exam coming?

Yes it is a rather disgusting habit! my son can chew through a pen cap in a couple of months! I would believe that this habit is stress induced or perhaps it is a security blanket of some sort?


So looking back, if it's stressed induced, should I scold her more? You mentioned you caned too! Hmm. Maybe I won't cane her but I am still punishing her from time to time. I also took away her cutey pens and pencils and leave her with only the barest minimal now. She still bites them all the time. Alamak!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1373496https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1373496Sat, 30 Aug 2014 08:54:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 04:40:37 GMT]]>
Sigh… I scold, I painted some stuff, she is still biting biting biting. Today still see her biting her mechanical pencil. (And the saliva also go inside) yuck. Don’t know what to do. Scold, talk smack her hand, she still do it. And I cannot whole day watch her also.


Looking at her pens, I think she doesn’t care about the bitter stuff. In school she must still be biting because more and more teeth marks appears on it.

The only thing is her results still good…Maybe because exam coming?


Yes it is a rather disgusting habit! my son can chew through a pen cap in a couple of months! I would believe that this habit is stress induced or perhaps it is a security blanket of some sort?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366076https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366076Wed, 20 Aug 2014 04:40:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 03:40:16 GMT]]>videotape her biting her pens and show her how unglam she looks? :siam:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366025https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366025Wed, 20 Aug 2014 03:40:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 03:29:14 GMT]]>Sigh… I scold, I painted some stuff, she is still biting biting biting. Today still see her biting her mechanical pencil. (And the saliva also go inside) yuck. Don’t know what to do. Scold, talk smack her hand, she still do it. And I cannot whole day watch her also.


Looking at her pens, I think she doesn’t care about the bitter stuff. In school she must still be biting because more and more teeth marks appears on it.

The only thing is her results still good…Maybe because exam coming?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366016https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1366016Wed, 20 Aug 2014 03:29:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Tue, 19 Aug 2014 04:59:58 GMT]]>It’s just a habit. My son used to bite this stationery from age 3 to about 10 and after we went though hell and high water to make him stop (bought this bitter tasting nail polish from overseas which we painted onto his stuff and that together with liberal doses of scolding and caning). On the positive side of things, I think it’s better than biting their nails or hair.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1365313https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1365313Tue, 19 Aug 2014 04:59:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Sat, 09 Aug 2014 03:02:29 GMT]]>Went to poly clinic. They don’t sell this anymore. Anyone else have any other ideas on making kids stop biting pens?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1356723https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1356723Sat, 09 Aug 2014 03:02:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Thu, 07 Aug 2014 03:20:38 GMT]]>

ChiefKiasu:
Maybe use this http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/solution-nail-biters on her stationary?

Not a bad idea actually. But guess really no other way? 😞
Do any of the kids here just has that as a phase and then will automatically stop?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354835https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354835Thu, 07 Aug 2014 03:20:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:40:05 GMT]]>Maybe use this http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/solution-nail-biters on her stationary?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354163https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354163Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:40:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:28:11 GMT]]>Yeah I know. 😞 That's why see her keep doing it I am thinking whether any other parents have dealt with this same problem. While waiting at her tuition centre, I have noticed her tuition centre had some foreign kids (ang moh) and they were all biting their pens. Wonder if she picked the habit from there?


In my school days, I also remember when I was in uni in Australia, got a quite a few of my foreign friends all bite their pens still. I think once start the habit, it's hard to stop.

So wonder if anyone else got any ideas. 😞

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354086https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354086Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:28:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:21:24 GMT]]>It is a habit and better to be nipped at the bud.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354074https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354074Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:21:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:18:28 GMT]]>But after putting pepper, it won't stay right? It will dust away? Since it's powder? My dd unfortunately also has lots and lots of pens. Big stack of gel pens, mechanical pencils but lately she started to bite them all. 😞 unless put pepper into her pencil case??!!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354070https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354070Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:18:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Pen biting on Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:15:08 GMT]]>Put pepper or chilli power on the portion they bite ???

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354067https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/1354067Wed, 06 Aug 2014 08:15:08 GMT