Zoe (Part Two)

Zoe (Part Two)

Part Two: A change in Zoe

Over a period of time, I noticed a gradual change in Zoe. He was still healthy and active, but he was not the same bubbly, little boy who always had everyone laughing at his antics.

In fact, he was becoming extremely frustrated and could not seem to express himself in an appropriate fashion. Instead of laughter, from his home or back yard, there was the continual screaming of an angry, unhappy child that echoed all over the neighbourhood.

As the months passed, Zoe became very sullen and quiet but at other times, extremely hyperactive and destructive. His parents did not know what to do with him.

It appeared that a part of the problem was related to the fact that they were continually arguing and there was a new sibling on the way.

Shortly after, a younger brother was born and matters became even worse. Zoe became resentful and jealous, hitting and biting his younger brother and repeatedly regressing to earlier childhood patterns of behaviour.

He continually wet himself and reverted to baby talk, if he tried to talk at all. Most of the time he just screamed when he wanted something. His food and his dishes would go flying all over the room when his parents tried to get him to eat. He would only drink from his brother's baby bottle.

For the parents, what was happening was becoming a nightmare.

I continued to spend time with Zoe whenever I was able to do so, partly at the father's request and also to give his mother a chance to spend time with the new baby. He was a beautiful

Oriental baby with such a gentle, quiet nature that he immediately became the center of attention for everyone when he was awake.

Over the next year, Zoe seemed to be getting worse.

His father began yelling at him, every time he did something wrong and that only seemed to make things worse. He was getting attention but in a very negative direction.

At one point the father unhappily confessed that he hated to come home from work, because there was just no way to control what was happening with Zoe's behaviour. The entire house was in turmoil and the father admitted that he had started drinking in excess.

Shortly after that the mother took the children and went to the Orient for a brief holiday. When she came back nothing had changed.

Zoe was getting more destructive, hyperactive and aggressive, and less communicative with everyone verbally. He seemed to be one very uhappy little boy.